


I'll Like You Forever

by Annie_Uchiha, charmed_seconds, Proxima_Centauri



Series: Together We're Purple [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Imprinting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Asexual Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Drama & Romance, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Iverson (Voltron) Being an Asshole, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Medical Procedures, Mentioned Characters from Other Shows, Post S7-AU, Queer Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 55,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22180225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie_Uchiha/pseuds/Annie_Uchiha, https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmed_seconds/pseuds/charmed_seconds, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proxima_Centauri/pseuds/Proxima_Centauri
Summary: Keith never thought that his genetics would impact his romantic life. While on the Whale with his mom, Keith finds out about the Galran Imprinting process and, now back on the Atlas, has to tell his two mates that they’re stuck with him for the rest of his life. Not that Shiro and Lance look at it that way. Add in an intergalactic war, a budding poly-relationship, and a spoiled pup, Keith knew that his hair was going to match Shiro’s long before he was old.
Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Together We're Purple [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596619
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. The One Where They Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written by 3 authors on Facebook Messenger in a roleplay style and thus will not flow like a normal story, please keep that in mind while reading this. 
> 
> As this is canon divergent, there are a few things that are somewhat mentioned within the stories but we felt should be stated in the notes section :
> 
> - _Lance outgrew Keith and is now taller (much to Keith's displeasure)._
> 
> _\- Keith can speak three languages (Korean, Japanese, and Spanish)_
> 
> _\- Shiro is an army brat, and his family lived in Korea due to his father being stationed there, and thus can speak Korean._
> 
> _\- Keith harbors more Galran instincts and thus purrs and chirps._
> 
> Also, each author had assigned characters :
> 
> _Charmed_seconds -- > Keith, Krolia, Mila, Sorey, Iverson, Kolivan, Kosmo_
> 
> _Annie_Uchiha -- > Lance, Hunk, Pietro, Denny, Hawkeye_
> 
> _Proxima_Centauri -- > Shiro, Mustang, Pidge, Allura_
> 
> Also, Korean, Japanese and Spanish were used in this story. None of the authors are fluent speakers and utilized Google Translate to help us. Furthermore, Korean and Japanese have been romanized as well. English translations for all three languages can be found in the parenthesis after the paragraph. If there are any glaring mistranslations, please let us know and we'll fix them! Thank you!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Keith entered the Bridge, anxiety coiling in his stomach. He looked throughout the room, sending a small, greeting smile towards Pidge who was waving towards him. Finally, his eyes settled on the two that he was looking for. "Shiro…Lance…can I speak to you two privately, please."

Lance turned to look at Keith, his laughter from Hunk's joke trailing off when he saw the look on his face. "Sure?"

Shiro looked up from the tablet where Sam was gesturing to various ship components. He was about to ask for a few minutes for Sam to finish explaining before he saw Keith's face. "Sam, can we finish later?" He didn't wait for an answer before he was moving over to Keith, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Of course." He spoke low, trying to calm his mentee. He glanced back and saw Lance breaking off from his conversation with Hunk. "We'll follow you," he told Keith.

Keith nodded a bit shakily. He led them through the Atlas and headed towards his room. Pressing his palm to the scanner beside the door, it opened with a quiet whoosh. He gestured for Shiro and Lance to walk in first. "You two can sit," Keith said, sitting down on his bed, a couple of chairs set across from him.

Shiro nodded and stepped inside. He took the farthest seat so Lance could file in behind him.

Lance followed suit then lowered himself slowly into one of the chairs, suddenly very nervous. The atmosphere clearly screamed serious. Lance could feel himself start to sweat. What did he do this time?

Keith looked at the pair of them. He honestly wasn't sure how to start this conversation. He glanced down at the floor, before looking up at them. "So," he frowned, running a hand down his face, "I honestly don't know how to say this or even fucking start this conversation." He closed his eyes momentarily to collect his thoughts.

Shiro raised an eyebrow, silently urging Keith onward. Obviously, whatever this was, it was big enough to stress him out and exclusive enough to limit it to himself and Lance.

Lance blinked. This was certainly not what he was expecting Keith to say. Confusion settled over his face.

Keith let out a shaky breath, his right-hand curling into a fist as his thumb started to anxiously rub against the skin. "My mom noticed some things while we were on the whale. And some of those things concern you both." He looked away, clearly stressed and worried.

Lance instinctively reached forward to grab Keith's hand, wrapping his fingers over Keith's. He knew what that gesture meant. He'd seen it many times before. Keith was worried.

Shiro's brow furrowed, confused. He noticed Lance latch onto Keith's hand and absently noted that Lance must know what it was about too. But if Krolia had told him on the whale... "That's an awfully long time to hang onto intel," Shiro said easily, trying to keep the mood lighter. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Keith squeezed Lance's hand. "It can be, I guess," he answered. "Matters on how you look at it," he added softly.

Lance held tight to Keith and tried to ignore the nervous feeling in his stomach.

Shiro hummed. "Obviously you think it's bad, then," he started. "Why don't you tell us and let us deal with it together? Shared burdens tend to be easier, after all." He smiled encouragingly.

Keith let out a shaky breath. "Not bad but could be interpreted that way. I'm more afraid of your reactions. This could mess up both of your lives..." Keith ran a shaky hand through his hair. "And I don't want you two to suffer because of it."

Lance cocked his head to the side, wondering what could possibly be that bad. He ran a thumb absently over Keith's knuckles. Whether the motion was for his benefit or Keith's, he didn't know.

At that Shiro looked confused. Why would they suffer? "Nothing you say will ever make me think less of you, Keith. I'm sure the same could be said for Lance." He looked to the Blue Paladin for confirmation. "I told you before, I'm in this for the long haul. Best to just rip the band-aid off now and see what happens," he suggested.

\----

Lance nodded in confirmation.

Shiro leaned forward, willing Keith to believe them.

Keith looked at both men, his eyes drifting between Shiro and Lance, the purple irises showing his fear and anxiety. His eyes drifted downward, head falling as well. His posture was hunched, guarded, as if shielding himself from an attack.   
  
"According to my mom," he started, "there's a thing with Galrans that's called Imprinting. It happens when a Galran grows close to someone else and if they're," he paused, frowning slightly as he tried to think of the right word to use, "biologically compatible, I guess? I mean, it's more than biological..." he rambled slightly, "but if that happens, the Galran imprints on the other and they're bound…for life."

Lance furrowed his brows in confusion.  _ Imprinting? So, like soulmates? Why is he telling us? What does it have to do with-oh. Oh. He-Keith he. Did he imprint on someone? _ So he did know how Lance felt, and this was him letting him down easy. Lance felt a pain in his chest and he knew then just how much he liked Keith. Lance swallowed and slowly began to retract his hand.

Shiro's face grew more serious as Keith continued talking. "Okay..." he said slowly. "So you've imprinted on someone," he continued, figuring that was the point he was supposed to be taking from this. A bit earlier than he planned on having this conversation, but no big deal. It was going to be awkward either way, meeting Keith's... mate? Lance being here was unexpected too, but he knew Keith valued his input. "Who did you imprint with? I'd like to meet them and tell them how lucky they are," he ended with a small smile on his face.

Keith blinked as he watched Lance pulled his hand away from his. His fingers curled into a tight fist. He looked away from the both of them. "Not someone…somebodies," he said, shutting his eyes.

Lance blinked and stared at his lap. Shiro was right. Whoever they were, they were lucky. He wished...no. Lance wasn't going to think that way, it would just make this harder. Lance clenched his hands into fists. Why wouldn't Keith just tell them who they were and get this over with. It was getting harder the longer he was here.

Shiro kept the smile on his face. "Poly relationships aren't bad, Keith. I'm in an open one, remember?" he reminded his protege gently. "They're just...misunderstood, and more work, but I'm sure you and your mates will figure it out."

That was news to Lance, but he shook it from his head. It wasn't important right now.

Keith sighed shakily. He raised his hands to cover his face. "I'm not saying this right," he muttered. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before lowering his hands. "You....two are my mates," he said, a tear falling from his eye. "I imprinted on both of you."

_ What. _

Shiro looked confused. "You...what?" he asked, not comprehending. Surely he didn't hear that right.

Keith laughed mirthlessly, another tear falling from his eyes. His hands curled into fists to the point that the knuckles were bloodless and white. His canine bit into his bottom lip as he tried to find the words that he wanted to say. "I imprinted on both of you. I'm sorry," he said again softly, head bowed, his hands coming up to fist in his hair. "I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean to, I didn't even know what the fuck imprinting was until my mom told me. "

At Keith's apology, Lance's brain started up again. He blinked a couple of times. Keith said...Keith imprinted on him. On Lance. And Shiro...but also Lance. Lance! Keith picked Lance. A warmth started radiating from his chest and a small smile crept onto his face before blowing out into a full grin. He finally looked up and saw a tear roll down Keith's face. The smile immediately disappeared and before he could even think about what he was doing, he reached forward to wipe it away and Keith's other words finally sunk in. Keith had apologized. He was sorry. He didn't mean to. Why? Did he not...did he not want this? Lance felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. Of course he didn't. Keith didn't like him that way...why would he?

Shiro quickly moved to sit beside Keith on the bed, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, no. It's gonna be okay, Keith." He rubbed his hand up and down in a soothing gesture. "We'll figure this out." There was a lot to figure out - what exactly imprinting was, or how 'biological compatibility' factored in, and Lance...Shiro looked at the Cuban as he leaned forward to wipe away Keith's tears, a sinking look on his face. "Let's start at the beginning. Why do you think imprinting is a bad thing?"

Keith flinched when he felt Lance's thumb wipe away the tear that fell, his eyes wide as he glanced at the Cuban. He turned to look at Shiro, his brows furrowing when he heard Shiro's question. "I-I don't think imprinting is bad..." he said softly. "I-I," Keith stammered. "You two had no say and now you're bonded with me for the rest of your lives."

Shiro took a minute to mull that thought over. Yes, it was unexpected that this...imprinting had occurred. Keith being Galran hadn't been expected at all, even though Shiro always knew he was special. But as far as being stuck with Keith forever...   
  
"Well, that was the plan," he squeezed Keith's shoulders. "I didn't plan on just leaving you, you know." Even if the logistics of this new arrangement needed to be worked out, Shiro was sure it would be fine. "I'm never gonna give up on you. And neither will Lance."

Lance looked over at Shiro, and filled himself with a bravado he didn't quite feel, then turned back to Keith. "Right. Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" Lance winked, but he could tell the expression on his face fell a little flat. He wanted Keith to want this. To want him like he wanted Keith. Being tied to Keith for the rest of his life didn't sound so bad. Not if they both wanted it. He just needed to hear Keith say it.

Keith clenched his eyes shut. They didn't bolt. They didn't reject the idea or the notion that he imprinted on them both. Was it out of pity? Was it because they didn't want to hurt him?   
  
"This is different from friendship or brotherhood, Shiro." Keith swallowed as he felt tears gather in his eyes. He opened them and looked towards Lance. "And I never wanted to get rid of you," he said, his voice slightly hoarse as he kept his tears and emotions at bay. They wouldn't help the conversation right now. "Either of you. And that's why I'm sorry because my...my fucked up body decided to project my feelings towards you two and force you two to be bound to me when you two..." Keith swallowed as he glanced between the both of them before his head dipped forward once more, his hair forming a makeshift curtain to hide his face. "When you two deserve so much better," he said in a soft whisper.

Lance's heart skipped a beat. Keith's body projected his feelings? Did that mean what he thought it did? Lance sat up a little straighter and searched Keith's face, his own barely concealing the hope dwelling beneath. He took in a breath, bit his lip and decided to go for broke. Somewhat hesitantly, Lance reached forward and tilted Keith's chin back up so he could look him in the eye, then lowered his hand before his nerves could betray him. He smiled and shrugged. "Don't think I could get much better than the best."

_ My body decided to project my feelings towards you two... _ Shiro stuck on that line. Keith had been hiding something like that...? Shiro thought he'd taught him that he should be honest with his feelings, come out and communicate things and it would all work itself out in the end, for better or for worse. Even if Keith was afraid of how he felt about...about Shiro, apparently, he would have thought Keith would have acted on how he felt for Lance. Except his last few words made everything make a sick sort of sense. He thought he didn't deserve them, didn't deserve the sort of love he clearly craved and absolutely deserved, no matter what he thought.

A small part of Shiro, deep within himself where he buried all the dark things from his past, was secretly pleased Keith reciprocated the feelings he'd been too terrified to admit, even to himself. Feelings he'd only recognized after they started sharing a Paladin bond, close quarters making everything suddenly more evident, putting it under a microscope for Shiro to analyze and making it impossible for him to ignore.

And Lance's reaction...Shiro couldn't be more proud of Lance in that moment. "I think Lance said it perfectly," he agreed, a crooked smile on his face.

Keith snorted. "You two need higher standards than shit then," he mumbled.

"Excuse you. I only get the very best. Have you seen my skin? Flawless. My clothes? Designer. Imprinted, soulmate, life person...thing? Badass bad boy samurai pilot. Tell me I'm wrong." Lance smirked at him as he crossed his arms over his chest, any trace of sadness fading away.

Keith laughed at Lance's words. He couldn't help it. He covered his face with a hand as he did, bending over slightly. 

Shiro frowned a little. He knew Keith thought harshly of himself, but that was a bit much. "You've always been exceptional to me," he said honestly. "And clearly you are to Lance, too. Give yourself more credit, Keith."

He sobered at Shiro's words, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. His hand fell to his lap before he loosely wrapped his arms around his thin waist. "I.." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Lance grinned at Keith's laugh. It was a nice feeling, knowing Keith was having fun because of him. Lance decided then he wanted to make Keith laugh more often.

The laugh and the blush disarmed and weakened Shiro enough to where he leaned in, pressing a kiss to the side of Keith's head, a light blush on his own cheeks. Affection wasn't completely foreign between the two of them, but it felt different this time.  _ Was _ different. And Keith's hair was so soft. "If you can't believe yourself yet, believe us," he urged quietly.

A small pang of jealousy shot through Lance at Shiro's kiss. Right. Keith had said he imprinted on both of them. Guess he should get used to sharing. That wasn't really one of Lance's strong suits but he'd do it. For Keith. Wait...what did this imprinting even mean? He had just kind of assumed that it meant like soulmates or something...and Keith didn't say he was wrong when he mentioned it earlier, but that didn't necessarily mean it wasn't...And how would this work with all three of them? Lance looked at Shiro. He was attractive, sure. Lance would have to be blind to not notice that, but did he want to be with him? Not...really, no. But would he have to? Wait. Were Shiro and he imprinted as well? Lance had too many questions.

Keith froze at the kiss. It wasn't the first time Shiro has kissed the top of his head or the side of it. But this felt different. New. The blush that was in his cheeks blossomed to cover his face. He cleared his throat and glanced at Lance, a frown appearing on his face. His head slightly tilted, confusion and concern dancing in his eyes. "Lance?"

Shiro looked from Keith to Lance. The Blue Paladin didn't look...normal, and he was staring at Shiro oddly. He coughed a little to clear his throat. "That was...forward of me. I'm sorry." Shiro apologized and took his arm from around Keith but not drawing back completely, still pressing their upper arms together to maintain contact and leaving a hand casually loose on his leg if Keith felt like he wanted or needed support. "We should discuss what imprinting relationships entail and figure out boundaries." This at least was familiar territory, figuring out limits and what was okay versus what wasn't. He could guide the three of them through this. "Lance, I think you have some questions ready?"

Lance's eyes darted from Shiro's to Keith's. Seeing the confusion there, he swallowed. "What...exactly....does this mean? The imprinting. What does this make us?" Lance asked gesturing between him and Keith. "And am I...with Shiro? Too?" Lance worried his fingers together and looked away. "And how?" he added, suddenly. "Did the imprinting happen, I mean. You said you didn't do it on purpose, so I'm guessing that either the universe decided it loved me, or I used up the rest of my luck for my whole life." Lance chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Were Lance and Shiro together too? That was certainly a question Shiro hadn't thought of before. He looked to Keith, not wanting to pressure him, but curious for the answer to both that and how the imprinting happened.

Keith frowned slightly at Lance before sighing, trying to put his thoughts in line. "Imprinting is," Keith's brows knitted together, "I guess it’s like soulmates like Lance said but it’s not how most people think of it? A close emotional bond has to be there before an imprinting can form and elements of what the Galran is looking for must be present in the other. At least, that's how my mom described it when she realized I imprinted on Lance while we were on the Whale." His eyes drifted towards Lance.  
  
"We imprinted when we had our bonding moment," Keith chuckled weakly. "When I didn't even know I was part Galran." His head dipped forward, landing cradled in his left hand. "I imprinted on Shiro when his soul was put into the clone body and he woke up in my arms."  
  
And no, you and Shiro aren't imprinted on each other. Imprinting is only for Galrans so I'm the only one that is bound. " Keith sniffled slightly.   
  
"As to what this makes us..." Keith chuckled softly, the noise dull and without joy. "That's up to you two."Shiro nodded to himself. All of that made sense, at least sort of. A lot had changed when Shiro's soul had entered the clone body, apparently this was just one more thing.

Secretly he was a little glad he wasn't imprinted on Lance too. He could roll with a lot of punches, but that was a  _ lot _ for him to accept with no warning. He wasn't sure how he felt about Lance, or how the other man did about him, for starters. Consideration of a romantic relationship with Keith alone was already enough for him to chew on for a bit. He moved his hand to rest on Keith's back, rubbing small circles, waiting for Lance to respond or ask more questions.

Lance thought back on that moment he had tried so hard to ignore in the beginning and a smile formed on his lips. It made sense now. Lance had had crushes before, on guys and girls both,[ so](https://www.facebook.com/messages/t/2328767240491455#) he knew what that felt like, but the thing with Keith had always felt different. Now he supposed he knew why.

Lance nodded his head as Keith explained more about the imprinting. Lance knew what he wanted wasn't platonic, and a few butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the thought of actually being able to act on his feelings if they were in a romantic relationship. And...oh good. He and Shiro weren't imprinted. Lance blinked when he heard Keith sniffle, concern showing through his slightly furrowed brows.

"Well, it's not just up to us though," Lance said thoughtfully. "I know what I want, but that doesn't mean it's what you want. This is a two-way street, yeah?"

Keith smiled sadly. "I imprinted on you two, I think it's obvious what I want Lance." He didn't look at either of them. Afraid of what he would see. "But I'm the one bound...not you two. I'm not going to...force you two to be bound as well. That wouldn't be fair."

Shiro frowned a little, seeing Keith be so sad. "...Maybe it's just how I feel, but I don't think either of us would still be here having this conversation if we didn't feel the same way that I think you do." Shiro tried. And gods if that wasn't terrifying to admit out loud. He'd never said it, even to himself. "We can't be afraid to talk openly about this. It needs to be crystal clear if this is going to work."

Lance cleared his throat, a blush settling over his cheeks. "I guess...I'll be the first to actually say it then." He sucked in a breath and let it out. "I like you. Like, like like you. If that wasn't clear." Lance rubbed the back of his neck again. "I uh...kinda have for a while now. So, yeah. I'm uh...I'm game if you are. For this. For um...us. If you want."

Keith's whole body tensed at Lance's confession. Slowly, he raised his head and looked at Lance, eyes wide and shimmering with tears. "But Allura...." he said softly. "She's your first choice," he added, his brows pulling together. "You deserve happiness, Lance. Not to be stuck with me. I don't need a lot, from either of you," he said, glancing at Shiro. "You can have Curtis." He looked at Lance. "You can have Allura..." He trailed off. "I don't want you guys to be ruined by me."

Shiro bit his lip, concerned as he saw Keith's tears. "You're not going to  _ ruin _ us," he said softly, pleading a little for him to see sense.

"Allura?" Lance asked, confused. "You think I-? Dude, you know I just flirt with her in good faith right? I don’t actually like her like that. I want  _ you _ . I've been into you for like forever." Lance hadn't meant for that last part to come out. He blushed a little harder at the admission. "What I'm trying to say is you are. My first choice. I really like you Keith. If you want me, I'm yours."

Shiro looked at Lance, eyes a little wide and secondhand embarrassment flushing his cheeks. That was... a lot more than he thought Lance would say, even if the Cuban did have a propensity to talk a lot. "And uh. Curtis and I...we wouldn't last, for several reasons," Shiro admitted quietly. "And even if I had to choose, you and I are a lot more compatible than he and I are."

Keith let out a shaky breath. Words were never his friend. Slowly and with shaking hands, he wrapped them around one of his mates'. "I've..." He paused, searching. "I’ve liked you," he squeezed Shiro's hand, "since before you left for Kerberos, but I was a kid and you had Adam then you broke up and...so many other things. And, you, Lance. Fuck." Keith wiped his eye with his shoulder. "You...surprised me. I liked you in the Garrison but while we were on the castle, I actually got to know you and never...we were in a war, you...you're you. You're kind..warm..." He chuckled. "You both are. And I never got the courage to tell either of you. And whenever I thought about it...I talked myself out of it. I figured if you two found happiness, who was I to stand in the way?"

Shiro let Keith take his hand and tell him that he had had feelings for him for years, since before he was damaged so deeply by both alien warlords and heartbreak. Shiro could hardly remember what he was even like back then, what had drawn Keith to him originally. He listened as Keith told Lance about his feelings for him as well, then about how he'd never said anything because he thought they'd found happiness. It was funny - his relationship with Curtis, the relationship Shiro had rekindled primarily because he craved romantic human contact, had almost kept him from pursuing what could become one of the most significant relationships of his life.

"You are always,  _ always _ allowed to speak your mind and tell others how you feel," Shiro told Keith fiercely, absolutely certain of that fact. "Please, never hide that from me again. I will always listen to and respect your feelings." He only hoped Lance felt the same way that he did. It would make this a lot easier if they were at least partially on the same wavelength. He looked between the two of them. "Same for you, Lance. Even if you hate my guts and think I'm impossible to be around, I want to know so we can try to figure something out." He could already detect the little jealous streak inside the Blue Paladin and wanted to mitigate its effects on Keith as much as possible.

"Wow. Since the Garrison, huh?" Lance wondered aloud, rubbing a hand down his face. He huffed a laugh. "I thought you hated my guts. Otherwise I would have said something,  _ done _ something. Cause it was the same for me. You know, since the Garrison. To be honest, it was probably the first moment I saw you. You caught my attention like nobody else had." Lance chuckled. "I think it was the mullet. No one has any right to look that gorgeous sporting that hairstyle." He shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "And I don’t hate you, Shiro. I don’t think it's possible to hate you. You're too nice." Lance turned his normal happy smile on Shiro.

"And Shiro's right. You can tell me anything. You've certainly never held back before. And I won’t get...disillusioned or anything. Promise." He smiled warmly at Keith. "And for the sake of time I'll just do this now. What? Lance used a big word? Yes, I did. Yes, I know what it means. Yes, my vocabulary goes beyond slang words and pick up lines. Hahaha we're all very funny. Moving on."

Shiro laughed a little at Lance's last bit. "We know you're smart, Lance," he said honestly. He never thought he wasn't. He had strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else did.   
  
He was relieved Lance didn't hate him. He wasn't sure how this would work if he did.

Keith let out a breathy laugh. "Guess I should've said something..." he muttered. "I just never let myself think that either of you would look at me that way," he confessed. "Never wanted to give myself false hope. I already learned my lesson about that before I went into the Garrison."   
  
He frowned as he took in Shiro's words. Speaking his mind didn't usually go well when he was a child. It usually resulted in bruises and nightmares. He became a bit more outspoken as a teen and young adult but not about himself. He didn't care about himself but others; he would always speak up for the ones he cares about. He knew how hurtful it was to not have a voice in your corner and he vowed to be that for others even if he didn't have one. Well, didn't really have one until Shiro entered his life but then Kerberos happened and then the war.   
  
He would like to think that he had healed from his childhood but he knew there were still things that lingered. Anxiety, self-care issues, and the biggest issue: speaking up. He always thought that he and his thoughts were burdens.   
  
He smiled at Lance, chuckling at the mullet comment. "Well, I don't have the mullet anymore so what do you think now?" he asked, a small blush on his cheeks. His hair had grown out to just a bit longer than shoulder-length. It just didn't seem important on the Whale and after a botched attempt from his mom...he didn't let her try again. He sobered at Lance's joke, self-depreciation coating the words. "You're smart, Lance. Always have been," he said softly, squeezing Lance's hand. "You strategize really well and always think outside of the box. Wouldn't want anybody else as my Red Paladin."

Lance's face blossomed red and he looked down at their hands. That was some high praise coming from Keith. That just wasn’t fair. Lance took a breath and looked up as he reached for Keith's hair. He tangled his fingers in the ends, feeling how soft it was. Lance smiled. "Still gorgeous." Lance lowered his hand and coughed to cover his embarrassment, eyes trained pointedly at the wall.

Keith's face turned red as he felt Lance's fingers entwine with the end of his hair. A bashful smile appeared when Lance spoke his compliment, Keith's head ducking downward. He couldn't believe someone actually found him gorgeous, or even attractive at all.

Shiro hummed. To be completely honest, he wasn't sure if he would have considered pursuing a relationship with Keith before, so it might be for the best that he waited. He would have maintained his relationship with Keith but it may have become awkward. Regardless, he wanted to know from now on.  
  
He smiled at the two younger men fondly, proud of them for finally - finally! - talking things through. But there was more yet.   
  
"So, Keith. You wanted to... date both of us?" he asked, wanting to be clear. "Did you want to try an open relationship like I currently have or a poly one? Do you know yet?" He didn't want to push, just get the ball rolling on the other man thinking about it. "We don't need to put a label on it, either. I just want to know what you want."  
  
At Shiro's question, Keith raised his head, looking at the older man only to look away as he thought. "I..." he paused, trying to say the words he has been wanting to say for a long time. "I don't want to...restrict you to me...so I guess you two can have an open relationship?" he said. He knew he wouldn't want anybody besides Shiro and Lance so he would be exclusive to them, but he wasn't going to do that to them. "But...I would...like to have a relationship with both of you if you two were willing to try or even be with me like that."

"Of course!" Lance exclaimed quickly, then went red again at the outburst. "I would like that." He added, a little calmer. "Us. I would like to be us. And um...I'm okay. With being exclusive, I mean. You wouldn’t be restricting me. I've always been a one person at a time kind of guy. Not that there's anything wrong with open or poly relationships!" Lance backpedaled quickly, glancing at Shiro. "That's totally cool if you’re into that sort of thing. I've just never.... But it's totally cool and oh I said that already didn’t I. Feel free to tell me to shut up, I tend to ramble a lot, but I guess you guys probably already know that so it's not really-"

"Lance," Shiro sighed a little as he cut him off, shaking his head but smiling. It was always interesting seeing how people reacted to his relationship status for the first time. At least Lance wasn't trying to kick his ass in an alley, and he was trying. "It's okay. I know this is new for you. Imprinting is new for all of us," he said as he gestured a little to each of them, "obviously, which is why we're having this discussion."   
  
Here is where the part about conveying expectations got tricky for Shiro at least. He was a people pleaser, always had been, and stating what he wanted was hard sometimes. He hoped that the other two would work with him. "I don't think it's fair to my current partner to just drop him without warning, and I don't really want to," he said honestly. He and Curtis weren't meant to be married or anything, but they were still good together in some ways. "But I would like to try a relationship with you, Keith. Since you're willing to have me." He flushed red and fidgeted with the edge of his uniform coat a little as he talked, but kept his eyes up and trained on Keith. He didn't want to fall into the hole of self-criticism he usually fell into when thinking about anything related to dating his mentee.   
  
His gaze slid over to the other man. "Lance, you're a great guy and all, but I don't think I'm quite ready for us to take that step yet..." he trailed off a little awkwardly.

Keith smiled softly at Lance as he rambled. He lightly squeezed Lance's hand, "Lance, breathing is a thing." He joked gently, a blush still on his cheeks. The blush grew stronger as Shiro spoke. He couldn’t help but lean forward, his hands releasing his mates' to move to his face, covering it. He couldn't believe this.   
  
He pictured them bolting, leaving or rejecting him. Even after getting to know his mom for 2 years in the Abyss, his still new Galran side was sometimes a discomfort to him. On some days, he was proud to be part Galran and other days, he was almost ashamed of it or found himself wishing he was born purely human. When he found out about the imprinting and how he imprinted on Lance (and then eventually on Shiro as well) he wanted to curl up and weep. It was another reason that he was abnormal because his sexuality and antisocial personality weren't enough apparently.   
  
And now, he had two men. Men he'd wanted for years, wanting to be with him and willing to love him in a way no one had before. A small voice in the back of his head told him that it wouldn't last, that they would grow sick of him as his foster families had. He had so many things wrong with him. Eventually, they would get sick of his needy ways, the voice told him. They would abandon him and he wouldn't even have them as friends at that point. Keith wanted to tell the voice to shut up just so he could focus on the sheer fact that Shiro and Lance actually wanted to try to have a relationship with him. Him. Keith Kogane, the Garrison problem child/legendary flyer turned just problem child.   
  
That thought alone was almost enough for Keith to start crying.

When Shiro saw Keith bury his face in his hands he immediately put an arm around him, pulling him closer. "Hey, hey. It's okay," he soothed.

Yet? Lance's eyes widened a little. Did that mean...no. He’d think about it later. "Uh...yeah. no. Me neither. I mean, you're an awesome dude and everything, but yeah. Not...no." Good job Lance. That was coherent. And yes, breathing. Breathing was good. Lance watched as Keith hid his face in his hands. "Keith?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Keith shook his head. "I'm-I'm fine," he said, the words muffled from his hands.

_ Just trying to wrap my head around the fact that you actually want to date me, _ he thought,  _ nothing major. _

Shiro nodded in response to Lance before focusing on Keith again. "I'm sure it's a lot to process." Shiro sympathized. "Do you want some space?" He didn't really want to let Keith go, and he had always responded positively to physical comforting in past, but Shiro would understand if he needed space to work things out.

Lance really hoped Keith wouldn’t tell them to leave.

Keith shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He took a deep breath and leaned back up, glancing at his two mates. "So...you're okay with this?" he asked softly, his hands back in his lap. His fingers twitched. He wouldn't go into his nervous tic. That would just worry them. "With the imprinting...and you two..." he swallowed, "dating me?"

Lance saw Keith's fingers twitch and reached out to take one in his own. He had seen that before. He knew what that meant. "I think okay is putting it mildly." Lance grinned, squeezing Keith's fingers reassuringly.

Shiro smiled a little as Lance reached for Keith's hand again. "It's going to take some getting used to," Shiro admitted. "But I can't say it's a thought I've never had before, so..." he trailed off, blushing heavily and scratching his cheek with his free hand. "Yes. I am okay with being in a relationship with you, Keith."

Keith let out a shaky breath. A soft smile was on his lips as he used his other hand to cover his and Lance's. He squeezed it softly. "Thank you," he said softly to both of them. He wasn't sure what exactly he was thanking them for. There was so much but he was never exactly good with words.

Lance let them bask in the happy silence for a moment before he couldn't hold it in anymore. "Soooo...."

Shiro leaned in to nuzzle Keith's hair affectionately before pulling back and raising an eyebrow at Lance. "So?"

Keith turned to look at Lance, an eyebrow raising in question. He leaned slightly back into Shiro but kept hold of Lance's hand with both of his.

Lance locked eyes with Keith. "Does this mean I can call you my boyfriend?" Lance asked sheepishly.

Keith chuckled, shaking his head fondly. He looked up at Lance, fondness making his eyes soft. "Only if I can call you mine," he said before wrinkling his nose at the cheesiness of his line.

"Hell yes. Call me whatever you like." Lance smirked. "As long as you say it with love." He winked, then his eyes widened. "Oh! Speaking of. How do you feel about pet names, cause I've got about a million and I'm not sure I can’t not use them. If you don’t like them I'll try not to say them, but yeah. I kind of really want to."

Shiro couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up out of him. Of course. "That's cute," he chuckled.

Lance blushed. Cute? Shiro thought Lance was...no. Again. Not now. He could debate Shiro’s confusing words at a later time.

Keith rolled his eyes at Lance's response, laughing through his nose as he softly shook his head. He stopped however at Lance's question, his head cocking slightly towards the right as he looked at Lance. "I-I don't know," he answered. "I’ve never...really been called anything besides my name and mullet and your other nicknames I guess..." he trailed off.  _ And insults. _

He glanced up at Shiro when he called Lance cute. He softly smiled, shrugging slightly. "You're not wrong, the blush also helps," he said, smirking at Lance, tucking some of his hair behind his ear as a blush appeared on his cheeks as well.

"Babe," Lance whined, running his non occupied hand down his face. He could feel how red he was, but he continued to watch Keith's face for a reaction to the pet name. "Not fair."

Shiro grinned and looked from Lance to Keith, wanting to see his reaction to the name. New relationships were always the best.

Keith froze when he heard the pet name, the blush on his cheeks blossoming to crawl down his neck. "Lance," Keith softly whined.   
  
The feeling that the pet name gave, the affection that they were already giving him made him want to curl up and bask in it. Most people moved away from him but yet these two drifted towards him and were choosing to stay with him. Without him meaning to, a joyful high-pitched chirp came from him. His eyes widened, the hand that was covering his and Lance's coming up to cover his mouth.   
  
This wasn't the time to start being an alien. Why couldn't he be normal for two seconds?

Lance's eyes widened. That was the most adorable sound he’d ever heard Keith make. What was that? He wanted to hear it more. He gently pulled Keith's hand from his mouth and smirked. "That's my name, gorgeous, don’t wear it out."

Shiro's eyes widened a little before he settled again, pulling Keith closer. That sounded a lot better than the other involuntary noises he had heard Keith make when he was younger. At Lance's words his mouth dropped open a little, surprised at Lance's boldness.

Keith whimpered involuntarily. His body tipped forward, his forehead falling to rest on Lance's knee. Another high-pitched chirp left his body. "Not gorgeous," he muttered.

Lance laughed. "What? Not exalted enough for you, princess? How about beautiful, radiant, exquisite, heavenly. Shall I go on?" Lance was enjoying turning Keith into a blushing mess. This was going to be very fun.

Shiro wasn't sure how to react until Lance continued. He kept smiling and put a hand on Keith's back to keep him grounded.

Keith reached up with his free hand, blindly batting to find Lance's face. Once he found it, he covered Lance's mouth with his hand. He turned his head, glaring at the Cuban with one eye even though his whole face and neck were bright red. "If I'm a princess, then where's my crown?" he muttered.   
  
He slowly sat back up, leaning back into Shiro, his previous position not exactly comfortable for the lower back. He lowered his hand from Lance's face, a blush still decorating his own.

Lance grinned. "Good question. Maybe I'll see if Allura has a spare."

Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith to help support him. "Stop teasing him, Lance," Shiro murmured in Keith's ear. "Although this is a great color on you, dear."

Keith resisted the urge to facepalm. "My boyfriends apparently enjoy torturing me. Noted," he muttered under his breath.

Shiro gave Lance a confused look. Boyfriends? That was... a bit ahead of what he was anticipating. Or wanted? He had to think on that one. "How pray tell are we torturing you?" Shiro responded, still very close to Keith's ear.

Lance’s heartbeat picked up at the word boyfriend. It had a nice ring to it. He briefly wondered if Keith felt the same way when he said it. He hoped so.  
  
Lance's smile faltered for a second at Shiro’s confused look. What did that mean? But picked right back up at his words. He kind of wanted to call Shiro out since he was being a bit of a hypocrite, but watching Keith was too much fun.

Keith rolled his eyes."You both are going to be the death of me with all these...nice words and shit," he mumbled, raising a hand his pinch the bridge of his nose, his cheeks still tinted pink.

Shiro chuckled. "You always did blush easy at compliments." He had always thought it was cute, but now it was even more different. This was...a little bit like riding a roller coaster for the first time. Terrifying but exhilarating.   
  
"Speaking of compliments and titles," he started. "We need to talk about how public this will be. You both know I'm a private person, despite what the rumor mill puts out about me," he glanced at Lance again. He was curious what the other man had heard through the grapevine. "And there would be some who would... disagree with my relationship with Keith, to put it lightly. I don't want to cause problems for either of you, so I think, if you want to of course, you two should be public and I'll take a back seat on this one." He didn't need anyone threatening to court martial them or take their flight credentials away. He looked to Keith, wanting to see his reaction, gauge what he was thinking. "What are your thoughts?"

Lance just shrugged when Shiro looked at him. Sure, he’d heard some stuff, mostly second hand from Pidge, but nothing too crazy. He was almost convinced Pidge had started some of the rumors themself just because they were bored and enjoyed watching the drama unfold. Lance couldn't talk though. He too enjoyed the drama.   


Lance waited patiently to hear what Keith had to say. He wanted to be public, but he thought maybe he could hold back if Keith didn’t want anyone to know. The thought of not being able to hold his hand or hug him whenever the feeling struck made him a little sad. Hopefully Keith would be okay being out.

Keith glanced at Lance and then back at Shiro. "I can understand that," he said referring to what Shiro said. "But rumors will fly no matter what we do. There were rumors about us when we were in the Garrison," he said, rolling his eyes before looking at Lance with a small smirk. "And I don't think I could prevent you from running down the halls to hug me; not that I would want to." He loved how easily Lance gave physical affection. Maybe it was because how touch starved he was or maybe it was another Galran thing but he loved it. Hugs, cuddles, caresses, everything...even if it makes him blush horrifically.

Lance chuckled. "Er yeah..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I might do that." He was glad Keith didn’t seem to be opposed.

Shiro nodded. There had been rumors back when they were at the Garrison, but at least back then they hadn't been true. "Another thing..." Shiro paused. "We're probably going to have to tell command, if this gets serious enough." Imprinting was probably serious enough, wasn't it? It was irreversible.

Keith let out a soft breath. "They aren't going to take it well." Officer-Cadet relationships were strictly prohibited. They were already asking questions when Shiro was merely mentoring him, afraid of favoritism. What were they going to do with him and Shiro now attempting a romantic relationship and even if that didn't work out, he was still imprinted on the man, he was bound to these two forever.   
  
Maybe it would be better for him to withdraw from the Garrison. Focus on Voltron and the Blades of Marmora. He could get his education elsewhere.

Shiro hummed and squeezed Keith encouragingly. "Well, maybe Kolivan and Krolia can speak in our favor. You said this is a genetic thing, right? They make exceptions for that sort of thing all the time." He hoped it would fall under the same sort of rules, anyways. Otherwise he'd be out a job. He wouldn't make Keith quit his. "But I haven't told them about Curtis, so we might be able to ride it out until it becomes unavoidable."

Keith shrugged. "They might," he muttered. If it was up to most of the higher ups, Keith had a feeling he wouldn't have been allowed to return to the Garrison. Apparently punching the eye of a commanding officer was frowned upon. He was probably only let back in for the publicity.   
  
"We can see how it goes," Keith said. "You should be able to lay low for a while especially if Lance and I are seen holding hands and stuff. I'm sure that will distract them for a while." He reasoned.

"Does that mean I can hold your hand all the time and do embarrassingly cute stuff with you in public?" Lance grinned, eyes shining.

Keith laughed lightly. "I guess? If you really want to?" he said, shrugging.   
  
He couldn't help being unsure about so many aspects of a relationship. He was still in the process of actually believing this whole conversation was happening. He pictured it happening a completely different way, not this way where Lance was practically acting like an overzealous pup to hold his hand.  
  
Keith mentally smiled. Lance as a puppy, that was a cute thought. He did always look cute cuddled up next to Kosmo.

Lance's eyes went wide. "Holy shit. Holy-oh my God I didn’t expect you to actually say yes. I'm never going to forget you said that. I'm just gonna say it out loud again for the record. Shiro, you're the witness. Keith Kogane said I could hold his hand all the time and be embarrassingly cute with him in public." Lance was smiling so wide it was starting to hurt his face. "Not gonna lie, this is probably the best day of my life."

Shiro laughed quietly. Lance's eyes were shining so brightly, and he was clearly ecstatic. It was adorable, but he probably shouldn't say that out loud. Still, he let himself smile genuinely. "Yes, Lance, I'll be your witness. No weaseling out of this one, Keith." He had a point though. Even though things had come a long way, poly relationships still weren't the norm and Keith and Lance being together would throw them off the scent.   
  
Shiro still didn't plan on acting differently in public. Well, not too different. He would probably wind up gravitating closer more often, as he had when he and Curtis had started up again, but it was never enough to warrant serious discussion.

Keith chuckled fondly, shaking his head a bit at Lance's antics. "What are you going to do when I say you can hug me in public, explode?" he joked with a small smirk.  _ God forbid I say anything about kissing, I might kill him. _

"I make no promises on the subject."

Shiro laughed again. "You two want to hug now? I can sit in the chair for a bit," he suggested. He was hogging Keith enough, he should share. Not that he wanted to, but he should. Lance was a good guy.

Keith frowned. "Please don't explode, that is a mess I don't want to clean up or explain," he muttered, holding out his arms for Lance to hug him if he wanted to.

Shiro unwrapped his arms from around Keith, letting him lean forward and extend his arms to Lance for a hug. Once he shifted Shiro would probably move off the bed.

Lance's breath caught in his throat and his heart picked up speed. Keith was literally sitting there with his arms open just waiting for Lance. Lance bit down on the grin threatening to take over his face and surged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Keith's neck. The force of his forward motion pushed them backwards and Lance shot out an arm to stop them before they fell completely over onto the bed, basically holding Keith in a dip in the process.

Keith let out a yelp when he was pounced, his eyes wide as he felt his body tipping backward. Once he stopped falling, Keith opened his eyes. Lance was hugging him. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Lance, pushing his face into the side of Lance's neck, nuzzling the warm skin there briefly as he let his eyes close once more.

Shiro smiled and slipped off the bed, sitting back in his chair and letting them have their moment. He'd be damned if he didn't watch them stumble around like fawns while doing it though - this was adorable.

Lance slowly moved them so he was sitting next to Keith and no longer hovering over him while keeping them from falling, but he never broke the hug. It felt nice. Keith was warm and he smelled good. He didn't want to let go.

Keith smiled into Lance's neck as he felt the Cuban move them into a more comfortable position. "Glad to see you didn't explode," he whispered, smirking.   
  


"Me too, honestly." Lance chuckled softly.   
  


Shiro leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together in front of him and smiling fondly.   
  


Keith melted into the embrace, smiling softly. His hands curled into Lance's jacket as he enjoyed simply being in Lance's arms. It was a place he could quickly see becoming a home.   
  


Lance smiled when he felt Keith's hands grip his jacket. "Thank you," he murmured into Keith's shoulder, quiet enough that he wasn't even sure Keith would hear it.   
  


Keith leaned back slightly, keeping his arms around Lance but gave them enough distance so Keith could look at Lance's face. His head was tilted slightly in confusion, a small furrow in his brow. "For what?"   
  


Lance looked briefly into Keith's eyes before staring down at his lap, his fingers mindlessly playing with the ends of Keith's hair. "Oh, um...just for...picking me, I guess. I never thought we would ever be a thing, and I'm just really glad that you proved me wrong for once."   
  


Keith tilted his head slightly more at Lance's words, a blush appearing on his cheek making them a soft pink hue. His eyes drifted downward towards the floor. "Why wouldn’t I pick you?" he asked softly. "You're one of the best people I know," he confessed quietly. "You sticking around through all of this shows that."  
  
Lance blinked. He wasn't used to words of praise coming out of Keith's mouth. Usually they just traded insults, and he'd gotten so many today! This was...so so weird, but in a good way. He could get used to this. "No place I'd rather be," Lance said a bit quietly.  
  


Keith's blush erupted over his whole face. He leaned forward, hiding his face in Lance's chest. This sappy shit was going make him explode.   
  


Lance smiled and looked at Shiro, wrapping his arms around Keith again. They were so lucky. Sure this was going to be different and possibly difficult, with Keith dating Lance and Shiro at the same time. Lance would have to reign in some jealousy probably, but he believed they could make it work.   
  


Shiro smiled as Lance looked over to him and wrapped his arms around Keith. He nodded in approval. "You two look good together," he said sincerely. He didn't mind Lance holding Keith for a while. Was he sad he didn't have him right now? Sure. But Keith was happy, and this relationship was all about compromise. It wasn't like he was never going to come back.   
  


Lance hummed in agreement. "Thanks, Shiro." He placed a quick kiss to the top of Keith's head and then rested his chin on it. He hoped that wasn't too fast.   
  


Keith blinked a few times at the feel of Lance's lips on top of his head, a soft chirp coming from him when he realized what it was, making the blush appear on his cheeks again. His fingers curled tighter in Lance's jacket as he felt Lance rest his head on top his. A few seconds later, he closed his eyes, his body relaxing, a soft rumbling noise coming from his chest as he simply enjoyed being held in Lance's arms.   
  


Shiro looked on, confused where the sudden rumbling sound was coming from before he realized it was coming from his... boyfriend? That was still going to take some getting used to. Once he realized it was a happy noise he calmed again, smiling up at Lance.   
  


Lance's eyes widened at the sound. Was Keith...purring? Holy hell that was adorable. He tightened his arms a bit. "You're so adorable, you're going to kill me. Cuteness overload. Like I'm covered in puppies, except the puppies are just you and it's like 1000 times better."   
  


Shiro chuckled. "Eloquent, but yeah, me too." He wanted to scoop Keith up and squish him.   
  


Keith leaned up, his eyes wide. He looked between his two boyfriends before glancing down at his hands that were now on his lap. "You're okay with...the noises?" he asked softly, wincing at how pathetic he sounded.   
  
He used to purr and chirp like that as a child but once the foster care system got a hold of him, they were deemed weird and unnatural and he forced them down so he didn't get ostracised or punished for them. They re-emerged on the Whale while he was with his mother who briefly explained the noises to him and what they were. They weren't natural for humans but, according to her, they were normal noises that Galrans made and a good chunk of their communication, especially between pack and mates, were done non-verbally.  
  


"Are you kidding? They just make you cuter." Lance stated, smiling.   
  


Shiro looked contemplative. Something bad must have happened to make him think he wasn't able to open up and make those sounds around him. The only time Shiro had heard them had been the few times Keith had fallen asleep on the couch in his and Adam's quarters, but the noise complaints from his bunkmates suddenly made more sense. "Of course, Keith," he said quietly, sincerely. "They're part of you, right? So of course we don't mind." Plus they were adorable.   
  


Keith shakily smiled at his two mates. He wanted to cry. He looked down at his fidgeting hands. "Thank you," he said sincerely.   
  


Shiro leaned forward to take Keith's hands in his own, stilling them. Lance was still holding Keith, after all. "You have nothing to thank us for," he murmured, looking at him. "But you're welcome."   
  


Keith squeezed Shiro's hands, thankful for the physical connection. He sighed. "Is there anything else we need to go over?" he asked.   
  


"Do you two have any more questions about the imprinting?" he asked.   
  


Shiro hummed. "You're being... cuddly," he said, putting it mildly. "What contact requirements or limitations do you have?" Could he hug him? Were certain things not allowed? Would they have to move in together?   
  


He squeezed Keith's hands gently.   
  


Keith looked up at Shiro. He slowly withdrew from Lance's arms and pulled his hand back. "Sorry," he whispered, "I just assumed-" He frowned, the stupid elementary school saying filtering through his head about what comes from assuming. "And I don't need anything special," he answered softly.   
  


Shiro shook his head. "I'm pretty tactile too. I don't mind." He looked sad. "Tell us what you want and need. We want to spoil you." He didn't look ashamed as he said it, just sincere.   
  


Lance's arms were suddenly empty and he was not okay with this. He looked at Shiro then at Keith, confusion written all over his face. Oh. Keith thought Shiro was telling him he was being too affectionate. "I don't mind either. I'd hug you all day if I could. And Shiro's right. I'll spoil you rotten if you'll let me."   
  


Shiro knew how important it was to follow through with getting what you needed. He had needed physical comfort, so he had seen Curtis. When he wanted comfort food he saw Hunk (his mom was too far away). He hoped Keith and Lance both realized there was no shame in that.  
  
He smiled as Lance agreed. Thank the gods for Lance. "I really just wanted to know if there was anything you weren't okay with, or needed one of us to move in with you," he said honestly.  
  


Keith shook his head. "No, nothing dramatic like that," he said, glancing downward, not sure what the tell the duo. He didn't even know what type of physical affection was typical in a relationship -- platonic or romantic. He simply hung to the side. The loner, that's what everyone called him. How does one tell what they need or want if the don't even know the basics?   
  


Lance couldn't help but feel a little relieved when Keith said neither of them needed to move in. That could have been awkward, with the picking, and not to mention fast.    
Lance noticed Keith's hesitance. He decided to throw him a bone. "You can go at your own pace, you know? Neither of us will mind. And we can ask, before we do stuff, like hug you or hold your hand or whatever, if that makes things easier. And uh, I can't speak for Shiro, but I'm pretty cool with whatever so if you ever want to hug me or hold my hand or anything, you can go ahead and do it, I promise it'll make me happy, so yeah. Don't need to worry about that. I guess what I'm trying to say is, um, whatever you want, is uh...good with me." Lance smiled reassuringly. He hoped Keith would understand what he was trying to say.   
  


Shiro nodded. Lance had said what he wanted to perfectly. "That's how romantic relationships usually work," he agreed. "Asking before doing things, asking if you want things done to you." That sounded weird. "Like, if you ever want a hug, all you have to do is ask. I love physical expressions of affection. I obviously can't while I'm on duty, but in quarters I'll always be here for whatever you're feeling comfortable with." He paused, a thought coming to him. "Although I already touch and hug you without asking. I'm sorry. Should I stop, or ask first?"   
  


"No!" Keith said, blushing heavily when he realized how quickly and loudly he answered Shiro's question. "No," he repeated softly. "It’s fine and I do like...affection? It’s just...I never got much of it so I don't know what to tell you two."   
  


That...made Lance sad.   
  


Shiro's eyes widened at the shout, but what Keith said made a lot of sense. Foster homes hadn't been kind to him, he knew for sure. Lots of kids like Keith came through the Garrison one way or another, it wasn't unusual. "Well, we can start from now on," he said gently. "Can I...?" He wasn't sure what he was asking for, but he hoped Keith would let him.   
  


Keith looked at Shiro. "Did you want a hug too?" Keith asked softly, slightly confused as to what exactly Shiro was asking for.   
  


Shiro nodded a little. That seemed like a good place to start. "Can I sit on your other side?" That way he wouldn't have to be without either Lance or Shiro.   
  


Keith nodded. "That's fine." He frowned. "You don't have to ask to sit by me, Shiro. I'm not fragile. You two can do the normal things I guess. Hugs. Hand holding. Kisses. If it’s something I don't like or don't want to do, I'll speak up," he said. "Thank you for caring...both of you, but, I don't want to be treated like some...special case or something just because I didn't get enough hugs and pats as a kid."   
  


Shiro nodded, sitting next to him. "I figured it was okay," he started. "But I don't want to intrude on you and Lance. I need to respect both of your wishes." He leaned forward to look at his Blue Paladin. "Is there anything you're not comfortable with me doing while you're here?" He didn't want to step on his toes.   
  


"Oh, uh...no? I mean, I'd appreciate it if you didn't get your freak on while I'm in the room, but other than that? No, not really, no."   
  


That brought Shiro up short. "Ah. Noted." He said, flushing red.   
He settled for cooling his face by hugging Keith, burying his blush in his new boyfriend's neck. (That was getting easier to think.)   
  


Keith turned and looked at Lance, a deadpan expression on his face. "Yes, because that would happen with me, an asexual. Yep, going to whip off of my pants right now," he deadpanned. "You're lucky you're cute," he said, lightly patting Lance on the cheek with a smirk.   
  


"Haha, you're hilarious."   
  


Shiro unburied his head. "Wait, what?" Keith was ace?   
  


Lance looked at Shiro, confused. Oh. He didn't know. He looked to Keith, confused.   
  


Keith turned and looked at Shiro, brows furrowed and a cold sensation taking over his body. "You...didn't know did you?" Keith sighed. "I'm asexual," he said. "Is...is that okay?"   
  


Shiro shook his head. "I didn't know," he said softly. "But that's okay, of course." He tried to put his best comforting smile on, but it still fell a little flat. Keith had hidden a lot from him, he guessed. Granted, he hid stuff from him too, things he didn't want to talk about or didn't come up or-  
  
He took a deep breath to cut his internal monologue off. "A-OK," he said again, smile more genuine. "Ace-okay?" He tried, not sure how it would be received.  
  


Lance snorted. "Nice."   
  


Keith couldn't resist. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shiro, you're in your twenties, why the fuck are you doing horrible jokes already? Isn't that supposed to be when you're in your mid-thirties at the earliest?"   
  


Shiro frowned. "Language," he chided. "And they're just jokes, what makes them terrible?" He paused for a beat. "But that one was pretty bad," he allowed.   
  


Keith smirked. "English, I can change it up for you if you want?" he glanced at Shiro from the corner of his eye.   
  


Shiro rolled his eyes a little. "Suki desu. Un o osanai," he deadpanned. "Don't fucking swear." (You're lucky I like you.)    
  


Keith laughed lightly before smirking. "No puedes decirme qué hacer, especialmente si respondo en un idioma que no conoces." Keith then frowned. "Y solo juraste, así que vete a la mierda." (You can't tell me what to do especially when I respond in a language you don't know, and you just swore so fuck you)   
  
  


Shiro blinked. "I caught 'no' and 'mierda'," he reported back.   
  


Lance laughed. "Basically he said, 'You're not my dad and you're a hypocrite.'"   
  


Shiro frowned. "I hope to every deity I'm not your dad, that would make this awkward."   
  


Keith visibly shuddered. "Yeah, no. Don't even want to think of that." Keith looked at Shiro with a grimace. "Ew," he said simply, his nose scrunched up.   
  


Shiro laughed. "Well, I'm glad we're in agreement on the daddy kink." He glanced at Lance. "Not a single word."   
  


"I didn't say anything," Lance said, looking pointedly at the wall and pressing his lips together to keep from smiling. This was gold.   
  


Keith groaned, leaning forward to hide his face in his hands. "Can we at least save the kink talk to like our 3 month anniversary?" How the hell did the conversation get here he couldn't help but think.   
  


"That kinda makes it sounds like you got some kinks, babe." Lance teased, smirking down at Keith.   
  


"Sorry," Shiro said sheepishly. "That's on me." It had been a little funny, though.

  
Keith nearly screamed into his hands. "Where is a shovel so I can dig myself a hole?" he muttered into his hands. He was sure his whole head was bright red.  
  


Shiro pulled Keith into his arms. "Hey, no holes in my ship," he teased. "Hide here instead."   
  


Lance laughed loudly, clutching his stomach. "Oh god. You guys are my favorite."   
  


Keith looked at Lance from the comfort of Shiro's arms. He knocked his knee against Lance’s. "Glad my torture makes you laugh, cabrón." (Asshole)  
  
  
Lance shrugged and smiled.  
  


Shiro's stomach fluttered in a way it shouldn't, listening to Lance laugh. He sighed and kissed Keith on the top of his head. "Let him be," he said softly.

"Yeah, Keith. Listen to dad." Lance's shit-eating grin was blinding.

Shiro sighed. "Now you've done it." He gently set Keith on his other side and pounced on Lance, tickling his sides relentlessly.

Lance squealed and blushed at the sound, before laughing hysterically at Shiro's antics. "S-Shiro! Stop! Stop!" Another string of laughter. "I y-yield! Oh god, uncle! Uncle!"

Keith's eyes widened as he moved off the bed to give the two room. He sat in one of the abandoned chairs, elbow resting on the arm and his chin resting on the back of his hand. Using his free hand, he tucked some of his hair behind his ear as he watched his two mates interact, a warm feeling growing in his chest. He crossed his legs and smiled.

Shiro kept tickling Lance, but let up a little. "First I'm dad, now Uncle? You keep calling me all the wrong titles today," he grinned, eyes bright. When Keith had first led them here he hadn't expected it to result in something that he'd consider ‘fun’, but this was.

Lance continued laughing, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "S-sorry. What should I c-call you? Grandpa?" At that, Shiro resumed his attack with gusto. Lance shrieked. "AH, geezus! Holy, I'm sorry! Stop, ahahaha, okay, okay, C-commander Sh-Shirogane, s-sir, requesting p-permission to cease hostilities!"

Shiro turned bright red and paused, not realizing he had done so. "What?" he sputtered, dumbfounded, not sure how to react.

Lance let out a few leftover laughs before trailing off, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Keith. What was with the blush? "Shiro?"

Keith raised an eyebrow at the change of atmosphere. He forced a small smirk. "What? Did you two pull a muscle?" he asked.

Shiro restarted. "No, we're fine," he answered, rolling off of Lance, his face still on fire.

"Yeah, I'm good," Lance said, sitting up and giving Shiro a contemplative sideways glance before looking back at Keith and smiling. He took a deep breath, finally able to do so. That was...unexpected. Another thing to file away about Shiro to think about later. But for now he was going to focus on Keith. His new boyfriend!

Keith chuckled, smiling at the antics of his boyfriends.

Shiro sat on the side of the bed, taking deep breaths, letting himself calm down. Lance didn't know. It was an accident. A misunderstanding. He looked up and forced a smile onto his face. "So, plans for the day? I should probably go back and finish up with Sam sometime..." but he didn't want to leave so soon.

Keith shrugged. "I didn't have anything planned," he answered, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. He wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go so he told everyone, Blades included, that he was busy.

"I'm free. Hunk and I usually hang out, but he's working on something with Pidge today, so I was just going to chill in my room and play video games or something."

Shiro nodded. "Do we want to... have a date?" He threw the idea out there. "I can probably stay away for a few hours."

Lance started to stand. "Oh...I'll uh-"

Keith placed a hand on Lance's leg. "I've probably held you up for long enough," he said. "You were in the middle of something with Sam when I grabbed you. Maybe we all can have one when we land the Atlas for supplies or something?" he suggested gently. The last thing he wanted was for Shiro to get in trouble and put his job in jeopardy for this.

Lance glanced at Keith when he felt the hand on his leg and stayed where he was.

Shiro's eyes landed on the hand on Lance's leg. Oh. "That's probably not a bad idea," he agreed, standing. "I'll see you after my shift?" He hovered awkwardly near Keith, unsure of how he should say goodbye.

Keith shrugged slightly. "Sure," he said. "I might be in the training room," he added, looking up at Shiro with a small smile.

Shiro nodded, bending down to kiss Keith on the forehead, blushing a little. "See you." He gave a small awkward wave and headed out the door.

Keith blinked at the forehead kiss, blushing heavily. "See...you..." he managed to say just as Shiro was leaving.

"Bye, Shiro!"

Keith retracted his hand from Lance's leg. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." A faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Oh! Um...you're good," Lance said, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mind."

Keith glanced away from Lance. He didn't know what to do now that he was alone with Lance. There were seemingly so many new boundaries that he didn't want to break. He knew where he stood with Lance as friends but not as boyfriends.

Lance was nervous. Somehow, even though Keith was also dating Shiro, he had acted as a buffer. Now that they were alone, Lance didn't know what to do. So he went with a bad joke. That was safe. "So uh...come here often?" Okay a really bad pick up line, but what was the difference really.

Keith snorted, turning to look at Lance. "This is my bedroom, Lance," he said, getting up. He headed towards the small desk, grabbing a hair tie. He quickly gathered his hair and tied it up in a messy bun. His hair had been bothering him since before the conversation even started. He returned to his seat, looking at Lance, unsure of what to say. Taking a chance (and hoping it didn't blow up in his face) he leaned towards Lance, his head coming to rest on the Cuban's shoulder.

"Right, yeah," Lance said as he watched Keith tie his hair up. That was...unexpectedly hot. Huh...Lance didn't figure himself as a man bun guy. Maybe it was just Keith. Probably just Keith. When Keith laid his head on Lance's shoulder, Lance swallowed. "Sorry. I just. I've never...so I don't really...um..."

Keith glanced up. "Is this okay? I can sit up if you want."

"This is fine," Lance said, hesitantly reaching over to take one of Keith's hands in his own. "Is this okay?"

Keith hummed, nodding, squeezing Lance's hand. "You're okay with this? This whole imprinting thing?" he asked, a thread of insecurity going through him.

"Yeah, I think so. It may just be the romantic in me, but I think the idea of soulmates is kind of neat. And it's super cool that your Galra side chose me," Lance mused. He leaned his head down on Keith's. "Are  _ you _ , though? This affects you as much as me and Shiro. From what you described, it's not like you really had a choice. It kind of just happened 'cause of...biology? Or something? I just...you've been so worried about me and Shiro being okay that I wasn't sure if you'd had time to make sure you were okay too."

Keith softly smiled. It felt...nice to be cared for. To be shown concern. "I'm okay. I've had time to wrap my mind around it," he said, squeezing Lance's hand again. A soft purr came from him when Lance placed his head against his own. "I found out I imprinted on you while I was on the whale," he explained. "My mom knew I was bonded right away. It was through memories that she figured it out. When she told me, I was happy and...terrified," he confessed.

Lance smiled at the purr and hummed. "Why terrified?" he asked quietly, running a thumb over Keith's knuckles.

Keith frowned. He thought the answer was obvious. "Most people freak out when an alien tells them they're bonded for life," Keith deadpanned.   
  
His dreams tormented him with every horrible outcome since he found out. He didn't want to lose either of them. Shiro has been a big part of his life since he was 13 and Lance had become a pillar of strength for him since Keith did his stint as the Black Paladin. At that thought, Keith nuzzled into Lance's shoulder. He had a feeling it was going to become one of his favorite pillows.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm not most people." Lance chuckled.

Keith smirked. "For once I'm thankful for that fact." He looked up at Lance. "Although you've been pretty special to me for a while," he added with a small smirk.

"Yeah?" Lance asked, lifting his head to look at Keith. He took the time to study Keith's face. The smirk on his lips, the sparkle in his eyes that told Lance he was being playful. He really was beautiful. Lance smirked back. "Back atcha, babe." He added a wink, just for kicks.

Keith chuckled, turning his head into Lance's shoulder to hide it. He took a deep breath. "You said you were free right?"

Lance laughed with him. "Completely."

Keith blushed. "Be willing to take a nap with me?" he asked softly. He was tired, anxiety over this conversation keeping him up most of the night. Plus, cuddles were nice.

Lance's eyes widened a little at the request, but softened into a smile to match the one on his lips just as quickly. "Sure, I could use a nap."

Keith leaned up, his eyes slightly wider as he looked at Lance, a small shred of surprise in them. "Just give me a second," he said, undoing his bun to quickly weave a simple braid in an attempt to keep the hair more tame while he slept.

Lance nodded and watched as Keith undid his bun so he could braid it. Lance wished he were the one doing that. "Um...you know, if you want, I could do that for you next time." Lance started, then gestured at Keith's hair. "The uh, the braid. I can do a lot of different styles. I have a niece." He added that last part like he needed an explanation for his hair styling skills. "If you want."

Keith's face turned red. "If you want, I won't stop you," he answered. "I might turn into a mess of purrs though so warning." He nearly did when Krolia braided his hair on the whale. He smiled softly at the mention of Lance's family. "How big is your family? I've only met Veronica but you always speak like it's huge. "

Lance smiled. "I'll make sure to prepare my heart." He winked at Keith's blushing face, then scooted back to lay down on his side. "Pretty big." He huffed a laugh. "There's me, obviously. My mama, my papa, my abuelita, my abuelo, my brother Marco and his wife and their two kids, my brother Luis and my sister Veronica, plus my aunts and uncles and all my cousins. There's easily around 50 people at my house for holidays. It gets kind of crazy." Lance could tell he probably had a fond look on his face. He missed them.

Keith laid down beside Lance, his head on the pillow facing towards him. "That sounds...nice," he said. To be surrounded by that love and comfort, it probably was wonderful.

"It can be. Other times it can be a bit much. Like, having that much support and love can be great, but it's like a double edged sword. There's that many people for you to disappoint, too," Lance said looking at his hands.

Keith took Lance's hands into his own. "I don't see anything that they can be disappointed in," he said softly, his thumbs caressing the back of Lance's hands.

Lance stared at their hands and then at Keith. "Thanks." His smile was small, but genuine. How did he get so lucky.

Keith let a smile slip as he closed his eyes, squeezing Lance's hands. "I only speak the truth."

"Well I know that's a lie." Lance chuckled quietly. "But I appreciate the sentiment." Lance scooted forward a little to lean his forehead against Keith's. "Seriously. Thank you. It's nice to have someone who's seen you fuck up a lot, still think you're not an idiot."

Keith opened his eyes, concern within them. "You're human, mistakes happen," he said softly, hoping he was helping. "The important thing is that you learn from them, which you do. You don't give yourself enough credit."

Lance hummed in acknowledgment and closed his eyes, letting his nose brush lightly against Keith's. 

Keith hesitantly wrapped an arm around Lance's waist, and closed his eyes. "You okay?" he asked softly. It wasn't often that Lance spoke that way and it worried Keith a little bit.

"Mm, yeah. Sorry for getting weird on you. I'm good now." He nuzzled their noses together. "Thanks."

Keith chuckled softly at the action, the word cute on the tip of his tongue. "You're fine. Rather you speak up then bottle it all up. I don't want you to become me." He opened an eye, a smirk on his lips. "There's only room for one emo in this relationship."

Lance huffed a laugh and opened his eyes. "You're right about that. So don’t worry. I won’t." Lance smiled.

Keith closed his eyes, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. He yawned, using the arm that was around Lance to muffle it before placing it back. "Good," he mumbled. "Your smile is cute anyways. Like seeing it." He continued, obviously starting to drift to sleep.

Lance blushed, thankful that Keith's eyes were closed and couldn't see how much he resembled a tomato. "Yours is cuter," he replied softly, brushing a hand over Keith's hair before letting it fall between them. He lightly grasped a small section of Keith's shirt, just as something of Keith's to hold onto as he drifted off.

Keith smiled at the touch, a quiet deep purr starting from his chest as he fell asleep.


	2. The One Where They Sleep Some More

Lance stirred and started to stretch, before he remembered he wasn't alone. He slowly opened his eyes and took in the sight of his sleeping boyfriend. Keith still had his arm wrapped around Lance's waist and at some point his knee had come to rest next to Lance's thigh. Some of Keith's bangs had fallen into his face, so Lance gently brushed them back behind his ear before leaning forward to place a lingering kiss on Keith's forehead. He didn't know how long they slept, but it had probably been the best nap he'd ever taken. He couldn't wait to do it again.

Keith's brows furrowed when he felt a soft touch across his forehead. He didn't want to wake up. He was warm and comfortable. A soft disgruntled growl came from him as he moved forward, burrowing his head into Lance's chest. The growl turned into a purr, Keith nuzzling into Lance's chest more before settling -- still purring quietly.

" _ Dios mio _ ," Lance whispered. "You're gonna kill me." Lance shifted slightly so he could wrap his arms around Keith.  _ This is the cutest thing I've ever seen, _ he thought, settling his chin over the top of Keith's head.

Feeling the warmth wrap around him, the purr intensified. A soft smile appeared on Keith's face, the man utterly relaxed and content in Lance's arms.

Lance was wrong. This was cuter.

A few minutes later, Keith's eyes fluttered open, a yawn forcing its way out. He blinked a couple of times, still waking up only to realize his position. Crimson spread across his cheeks. He asked if Lance would nap with him, not be his personal teddy bear. Mentally, Keith groaned.

"Mornin', beautiful," Lance said, hearing Keith yawn.

Keith glanced up, a confused look on his face. "Did we sleep through the night?" he asked.

Lance shot a confused look right back and then looked at the clock. "Uh...no, just about an hour."

Keith hummed and proceed to let his head fall right back to Lance's chest. "Hope this is okay," he spoke into Lance's shirt.

"Totally," Lance said, running his hand slowly up and down Keith's back.

Keith turned his head so his cheek was resting against Lance instead of his face. He let his eyes close again as he felt Lance's hand caressing his back. He knew he was purring again - a sound that was seemingly becoming a constant thing with Lance - but he didn't care. Lance said he didn't mind the non-human noises and Keith knew he had to trust in that and not the annoying little voice in his head. He nuzzled against his boyfriend's chest, getting comfortable. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to fall asleep on you again," he said with a small smirk.

"Go ahead. I don't have anywhere to be. Plus, watching you snuggle up to me again will be super cute." Lance smirked back.

Keith groaned. He just got rid of his blush. "Cute is not a word most people would use to describe me," he muttered.

Lance chuckled. "Again, not most people."

Keith smiled. "Good, makes you more special," he replied.

Lance smiled and kissed the top of Keith's head. "You're pretty special yourself, babe."

Keith couldn't help but snort. He's been told that numerous times throughout his life but he was also sure that Lance wasn't referring to that kind of special. He glanced up. "You really do like pet names," he said. Not that he minded, it made him feel good, like Lance cared for him and liked him.

"Er...yeah. Is that okay?" Lance suddenly wasn't sure.

Keith nodded. "Yeah." Keith settled back into Lance's chest, frowning when he saw bangs dangling in his face. He reached up and took out his braid, planning on redoing it or putting his hair back up when they decided to get out of bed. "They're nice," he said. "Nice to be called nice names for once," he added with a little chuckle.

Lance hummed. He could understand that. When Keith took out his braid, Lance took the opportunity to play with Keith's hair. He combed it carefully and watched as the strands fell through his fingers. It was so soft.

Keith leaned into the touch. "I guess it's safe to say you're happy my mullet is gone," he said with a small laugh.

"I liked your mullet," Lance said softly. "But I like your hair now, too. Much more to play with."

Keith lifted his head slightly, a confused look on his face. "You did?"

Lance blushed slightly. "Yeah. Only 'cause it was on you though." Lance chuckled. "That first time I called you 'mullet' it wasn't intentional. I was looking for an insult, but I was so mad that you were managing to make that out of style hair look so good that I just ended up saying it half out loud. It kind of worked out for me since you took it as a dig so I just went with it." Lance laughed again. "It stopped being an insult for me a long time ago though. Now I just say it out of fondness. And for old times sake. We shouldn't forget our roots, you know." Lance winked down at Keith.

Keith blushed, blinking at Lance in confusion as he spoke. He smiled softly at the end of Lance's words, settling back onto Lance's chest. "Our roots? You mean the ones where we nearly tore each other's throats out?" He chuckled. "Guess it all worked out then, I got a new pillow out of it," he said, rubbing his cheek into Lance's chest with a smirk.

"Yeah, good times." Lance sighed, sarcastically happy. He smiled. "So, how's that new pillow working out for ya?"

Keith closed his eyes. "It's not going anywhere."

"It does seem particularly content to stay right where it is. I wonder why that is?"

"Because it's boyfriend isn't moving," Keith responded. "Although I should probably let the pillow eat some food or something. Let it live."

"Ah, right. That's why. And food's overrated." Lance stated just as his stomach growled. "...or not." He laughed. "How about some dinner?"

Keith chuckled softly, slowly sitting up. He stretched his arms raising up. He ruffled his hair a bit with a yawn before smirking at Lance. "Sounds like you could eat," he remarked.

Lance turned onto his back and stared at his boyfriend, smiling. "I could probably clear out the galley."

Keith chuckled fondly while shaking his head. He stood up, throwing his hair into a half updo, enough to keep hair from falling into his face but still keep some down. He put his boots on and turned towards Lance. "Well let's go before you start eating my belongings in an attempt to fill yourself," he said with a smirk, mirth dancing in his eyes.

Lance sat up and stood from the bed. "Don't be silly. I'd eat you first." Lance wiggled his eyebrows and smirked back.

Keith laughed. "At least take me out on a date first," he responded with a smirk.

Lance laughed, slipping his feet into his shoes. "That's the plan. Shall we?"

Keith blushed, but opened the door for Lance so he could lock it behind him.

Lance stepped into the hallway and waited for Keith to lock the door, before offering his hand for Keith to take.

Keith's cheeks grew a faint pink but took the offered hand.

Lance grinned and swung their hands between them as they walked towards the galley. They passed a few people in the corridors, but he paid them no mind, focusing only on the destination and the warm hand in his own.    


When they reached the galley, Lance stopped and took a deep breath. The smell of food permeated the air and he could almost taste it. His stomach growled quietly as if to say 'hurry up' and Lance took them into the hall.   
At the back of the line, Lance looked up at the menu boards. "What do you want to eat?"

Keith shrugged. "Just grab an extra side or something, I'll eat that," he answered. He knew his hungry and Lance's hungry were two different things. It was a thing that they had argued about while on the Castle when they grew closer; Lance being worried that Keith wasn't eating enough. And in all honesty, Lance was probably right. Keith knew his self care skills were shit.

"That's it?" Lance asked, looking over at Keith, concern filling his gaze.

Keith squeezed Lance's hand. "I'll be fine," he reassured.

Lance furrowed his brow and bit his lip. "Okay," he said hesitantly. Lance turned back to the front.    
  


"Hey, Lance! What can I get for you boys?"   


"Hey, Pietro. Can I get the turkey sub? And can I get an extra side of fries for my boyfriend?"   
  


"Boyfriend, huh?" Pietro asked, looking around Lance at Keith. "Ah, finally asked him out, did ya? Good for you, kid." Pietro smiled.   
  


Lance blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Something like that. Thanks."   
  


Lance took the tray from Pietro once it was ready and wandered over to a table along the wall. "Here okay?" Lance asked.

Keith quirked an eyebrow at Pietro's comment, side eyeing Lance as he was led to a table. "It's fine," he said, taking a seat.

Lance sat own opposite Keith and handed him his plate of fries. "You sure that's all you want? I'm sure I could get them to make you something else if you didn't like anything on the menu."

Keith shook his head, popping a fry into his mouth. "I'm fine, Lance. Really," he said, trying to be reassuring.

"Alright. Just wanted to make sure," Lance replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Keith ate a few more fries before he had to ask. "So how many people did you tell that you had a crush on me," he asked Lance, a smirk on his face

Lance paused mid bite. He chewed quickly and swallowed, then let out an embarrassed chuckle. "The only people I actually told were Hunk and Pidge, but uh...everyone else kind of figured it out? Apparently I'm not very subtle."

Keith shook his head. "Cute." He stated before popping a fry in his mouth.

Lance waited until he had finished his sandwich to speak again. "So uh...who knew you liked me?"

Keith shrugged. "Probably Shiro knew but I never told anyone," he said. "Never expected anything to happen." He added another small shrug to the end of his statement.

"That makes two of us." Lance laughed. "But I'm really glad it did." He reached across the table to take one of Keith's hands and smiled.

Keith smiled. "Even if it was because of weird alien biology?" he asked softly.

"As long as it got us here? I don't think I would have cared at all about the cause." Lance laughed. "But the imprinting thing is totally cool. It's like, we were still fighting all the time and trading insults, but your Galra side just knew. Like, 'Nope, this one. This fine piece of Cuban ass is the one for you.' Well, one of the ones, anyway."

Keith couldn't help but facepalm at the end of Lance's sentence, glancing at the man between his fingers. "While I’m thankful that my Galran side did...please never say that last part ever again," he said.

Lance placed a hand over his heart and leaned back slightly, feigning hurt. "You wound me. Are you saying I lied?"

Keith let the hand slide down so his eyes were exposed to look at Lance with a deadpan expression. "Lance, your ass is an ass to me. Asexual, remember?"

Lance wasn't fazed. "You can acknowledge my ass is fine without being attracted to it, can you not?"

Keith blinked in confusion before groaning. He folded his arms on the table and placed his forehead against them. "You're going to be the death of me," he muttered.

Lance grinned and patted the top of Keith's head.

Keith glanced up, his chin resting on his arms. He narrowed his eyes in a weak glare. "You enjoy my pain too much," he muttered.

"Pot? This is kettle. You're black," Lance replied, poking Keith's nose.

Keith raised an eyebrow, his eyes going slightly crossed when Lance bopped his nose. "Like my soul?" he asked.

Lance rolled his eyes and smiled. "Sure, babe. Like your soul."

Keith leaned back up and popped a fry into his mouth. He picked up another one and played around with it with a frown on his face. "Can't wait to land back on Earth to get better food," he muttered.

"No kidding." Lance agreed. "I miss my mom's cooking. And Hunk can get much better ingredients down there. This stuff isn't bad though. At least its not space goo."

Keith chuckled. "My dad could make a great Bulgogi," he said, a small smile on his face.

"Bulgogi?"

"It’s a Korean dish with meat and soy sauce and green onions," Keith answered. "My dad would make it with bibimbap for special occasions."

"Sounds great! You should make it for me sometime." Lance smiled.

Keith chuckled. "Only if I get tamales from you," he stated.

"Deal." Lance laughed.

Keith pushed his plate of fries away, half of the pile still on it. "You can have the rest if you want."

"Keith." Lance chided. "There were like ten fries on that plate."

Keith blushed slightly. "I don't eat much," he muttered. He thought Lance knew that.

Lance sighed. "That's not going to fly when you meet my mom."

Keith chuckled, blush still on his cheek as his head tipped downward. "Thanks for the warning." If she was anything like Lance, he probably didn't stand much of a chance.

"No problem," Lance replied, standing. "Ready to go?"

Keith hummed, standing up. Waiting for Lance to come around so they could leave.

Lance picked up their plates and tray and walked them over to the return window, thanking the man behind the counter as he passed over the tray. He turned around and walked back to Keith, offering his hand again. "Where to?"

Keith shrugged as he took Lance's hand. "I don't have anything planned," he said, letting Lance decide.

Lance hummed thoughtfully. "Well...we could go back to my room. I've still got the Mercury hooked up, we could play Killbot?"

Keith shrugged. He wasn't much of a gamer. "Would you mind if I grabbed my tablet?" he asked. "You can play, I just don't really play those kind of games." He finished with a small shrug.

"It was just a suggestion, we can do something else?" Lance wanted to do something together.

Keith frowned. "You said you wanted to play video games earlier." He pointed out. "I'll just use you as a backrest while I read while you play your game." He suggested with a small shrug.

Lance brightened. "Okay!" Lance started in the direction of Keith's room.    
After grabbing Keith's tablet, Lance led them to his room, letting Keith inside before entering. "Uh...make yourself at home?" Lance said, stepping out of his shoes and moving some papers and things out of the middle of his room so they could sit.

Keith chuckled as he pulled his boots off and set them aside Lance's. He had to admit, he was cute when flustered. He waited until Lance had a spot cleared before settling on the seat, waiting for Lance to sit down so he could lean against him.

Once Lance had turned on the TV and console, he grabbed the controller and sat down behind Keith. He pulled the shorter man back against his chest and rested his chin on Keith's head. Winding his arms around Keith's waist, he rested his hands and the controller on the other mans lap. "This okay?"

Keith hummed in agreement, leaning back into his boyfriend's body. He opened up his ebook and started to read. He couldn’t help but do so with a soft smile. This was nice. Comforting. No pressure to talk, simply enjoying their own things while being together. It was something that Keith longed for in a relationship and it made him happy that he had seemingly found it with Lance.

The game started and Lance moved his character across the screen. He smiled. Lance was enjoying just sitting there with Keith. It was nice that they could just  _ be _ together. Exist without having to fill the silence. Sure Lance liked to talk but he enjoyed the quiet every once in a while.

Shiro let the door slide shut behind him. He had told Keith and Lance that he was going to report in to Sam and finish his briefing on the system charts changes he had been showing him.

And he would. After he stopped at his quarters to process things for a minute or ten.

He walked the five or so minutes to get to the CO barracks, pressing his right hand against the sensor to open it. His last arm, the one designed on earth before they had known it would be for him, would not have been able to. Sam had developed a proximity chip that was inserted into a slot just under the palm plate to allow him to interact with tech on the ship. This arm also had an elbow, which was always nice. It still detached in case he needed to reach something across the bridge or engage in combat, but it didn't create the awkward feeling of people passing through his arm. He could also feel some sensations with it, something the Galra hadn't taken into consideration when they designed and installed his initial prosthetic. It was nothing like back when he had a human arm, but he had almost cried the first time he touched Kosmo's fur and was able to  _ feel _ it, no matter how slightly.

He stepped through the door and kicked off his boots, laying on the bed with his left arm over his eyes.  _ Imprinting, huh? _ He never would have guessed in a million years that somewhere in the universe soulmates existed and the Galra of all people had them. It softened them a bit for him. He'd say humanized, but well...not human, not at all. Made it even easier to accept Keith's lineage. Not that he hadn't already of course, Keith was more than his blood, but still. Easier.

He sat up when he heard the door swoosh again, indicating someone had entered the room. Someone with clearance. There were very few people like that, his commanding officers and Keith. And of course…

"Takashi." Curtis spoke softly as he sat on the bed next to Shiro. His face was creased with worry. "What happened with Keith? I saw him pull you off the bridge, he didn't look good."

Shiro shook his head a little, a small smile on his face. "Actually, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be." He ran through the conversation they'd had, how he and Lance were both bonded to Keith through Galran genetics, how Keith had had feelings for him for years, how they had entered into a relationship that fit into his current framework and allowed him to pursue both Curtis and Keith. Around this time Curtis moved closer, coming up on Shiro's left side to hook his chin over his shoulder, staring down at where Shiro was fidgeting with their intertwined hands.

"I know you've been beating yourself up about your feelings for Keith for a while," Curtis said knowingly. Shiro made a token protest, only to be silenced with a light headbutt from his lover. "Don't argue. We both know you come back here after missions sometimes and pine. You're too proper to do anything about it on your own, though."

Well, Shiro couldn't argue with that. He sighed instead. "Alright," he allowed. "But I'm getting..." He floundered for words for a moment. "Confused, I guess? When he's with Lance. Like I'm jealous of both of them. I have no reason to be, I never have been. And Lance hit on something that just..." He waved his hand a bit, flustered just thinking about it. How to explain that Lance had done something that Shiro wasn't even comfortable with asking for out loud to someone who already knew his kinks, and that it had made him a blushing mess? "Maybe I just want to be close to them too?"

Curtis hummed in thought. "Sure you don't want to start something up with Lance, too? You didn't really notice me like that until you found me and Adam that one time."

Shiro's ears turned red. He'd forgotten about that. Old memories were... harder, sometimes. Fuzzier. He wasn't sure if Haggar or the clone implantation had knocked some of them loose. But that one was crystal clear, once it was brought up to him. "You think?" That was... a thought. But Lance had said he was a one person type of guy. Acted jealous when Shiro had kissed Keith. Agreed that he didn't want to date him, either.

Oh gods, Shiro had said yet. The rest of his face joined his ears in turning tomato red.

Curtis laughed at him. "Shiro, I know you. I also know that you're dumb as a rock sometimes." Shiro shoved Curtis a little, making him laugh. "But you're all about talking things through and making sure everyone is comfortable with everything. You're probably already planning on having a conversation alone with him, right?" Shiro nodded. "So just casually... drop something in to gauge his interest. It'll work itself out."

Shiro nodded. "You're right." Curtis usually was. That's what happens when you know a guy for a decade, he supposed. He knew Curtis before he'd known Adam. Been on his flight team during their Garrison days. Curtis only had his best interests at heart, and always defended them.

Which is how Shiro knew he was in trouble when the other man was suddenly in his face, a grin fixed on his lips that spelled trouble clear as day. "So, which kink did he hit?" Shiro swallowed hard, looking nervous. "Probably not anything clothing or performance based. Which leaves a very short list."  
  
"Curtis, come on," he whined a little, trying not to make it too obvious. He wanted to keep some of his dignity. "I have to go to work after this." He'd only stopped in for a few minutes. A glance at the clock confirmed that ten minutes had already turned into about thirty.   
  
"What's the matter, sir? Are you on a tight schedule?"   
  
Shiro paused for not the first time today at that word. He turned to face the other man, eyes a little wide. Curtis was grinning a little evilly, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head. "Think you could pencil me in after your shift's over? I'll make it worth your while." His voice lilted in a sing-song cadence.  
  
Shiro sighed internally, knowing he wouldn't be able to say no to that. Especially after the tickle fight with Lance earlier. "I'm supposed to meet up with Keith, but I can probably see you for a bit. Do you want me to message you when I'm done?" Curtis nodded, still smiling. Shiro felt a pang of fondness for his old friend turned lover and leaned forward to tip his chin up with one hand, kissing him a little more deeply than he probably should have for a short farewell. He'd see him in just a few hours, after all.  
  
Curtis brought his hand up to the back of Shiro's head, cupping it and holding him in place until they pulled away from each other, still lingering close after they broke away. His smile was more fond than smug now. "Don't keep me waiting too long, Commander."  
  
Shiro scowled at Curtis and stood, the other man cackling once again. He loved pushing Shiro's buttons before shifts. The paladin took a moment to readjust himself in his pants before he moved to shove his boots back onto his feet. "I'm going to get you back for that."  
  
Curtis' eyes were bright with mischief. "Looking forward to it, Takashi." Shiro grumbled, but left the room with an exasperated smile on his face. He was so lucky he got to keep this and have Keith too. Maybe Lance? Even if not, he was still so, so lucky. He headed to the bridge, heart light.  
  
He reported in with Sam, finished the briefing he had been completing before, and made sure he didn't have anything else to do for the day before he headed out to Curtis' apartment. A fun time (and a few hickeys) later he found himself knocking on Lance's door, dressed in jeans, a newer band tee and a hoodie. Keith had texted earlier saying they were playing video games here. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels as he waited for them to answer.

"It's open!" Lance called, hearing the knock. He didn't want to move, and he had a feeling Keith didn't want to either. He pressed a series of buttons on his controller and hoped for the best. He was a little underleveled for this boss, but sometimes that didn't matter in this game. Strategy over strength.

Keith raised his head when he heard the knock, snuggling back down when he heard Lance yell, happy to not move.

Shiro opened the door and stepped inside, making sure it shut before heading over to Keith and pressing a kiss to the top of his cheek, making sure not to interrupt Lance's button mashing. "Hey there," he said easily before sitting on the bed.

"Just one second," Keith muttered, quickly finishing his page before clicking his tablet off. "Hi, everything go okay with Sam?"

Shiro made a confirmation noise and made himself comfortable. "Yeah, just some system changes for navigation panels," he said as he crossed his legs under himself. "Mostly a formality to tell me, since I don't usually use them. They'll be running some sim work too." He glanced to the screen. "What Killbot game?"

"Phantasm I." Lance answered a bit absently. His brows narrowed in concentration, his tongue peeking out from between his lips.

Shiro nodded. "I've seen Matt play through that a few times." He looked to Keith. "And you're reading, right?"

Lance hummed in acknowledgement.

Keith nodded. "Lance wanted to play his game, I wanted to read. Happy medium," he said.

Lance quickly kissed the top of Keith's head and then went back to focusing on his game.

Shiro nodded. "That's good," he said encouragingly. "It's important to do things together." He felt a stab of something when Lance kissed Keith's head. He sat watching Lance play his game.

"Yes! Victory is mine!" Lance exclaimed, raising his hands in the air in victory. "Jeez, that was ridiculous. Whew." Lance wiped a hand dramatically over his forehead, as if wiping away the sweat from his imaginary toils, then resumed his previous position and clicked through the dialogue.

Shiro snorted a laugh. Lance was ridiculous, not the game.

Keith chuckled, gently patting the leg beside him. "Congrats."

Lance grinned. "Thanks, babe. Knowing you were rooting for me was what got me through."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Whoo?" he deadpanned, miming holding a pom-pom in jest.

Lance gently tapped his chin on Keith's head. "My cheerleader sounds a bit lackluster." He huffed.

Keith snorted. "Let me go grab my skirt from my closet," he deadpanned once more, rolling his eyes, "and tie my hair into pigtails."

"Okay, I'll wait," Lance replied, grinning.

Keith sighed. "Don't hold your breath, I don't want a ghost as a boyfriend."

"Yeah, that would suck. I wouldn't be able to hold your hand anymore." Lance frowned.

Keith smirked, tipping his head back so he was looking up at the bottom of Lance's head. "And here I thought you would miss kissing me."

"Haven't done it yet. Can't miss what you don't know," Lance said seriously, looking down into Keith's eyes. He winked and looked back at his game.

Keith chuckled, sliding down a bit to snuggle more into Lance's body, turning his own slightly to look at Shiro as Lance focused on his game.

Shiro smiled at them from his seat. "The cheerleader outfit could be fun," he said cheerfully.

Lance snorted.

Keith narrowed his eyes at Shiro, lightly pinching Lance's side in the process, "No."

"Ow!" Lance complained, glaring down at his boyfriend. "You were the one who suggested it in the first place."

Keith glanced up at Lance. "As a joke," he muttered. "You should be familiar with those," he added. "Behave or I'll pinch you again."

"Anything but that." Lance whined, but he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face.

Shiro smiled. "Behave, both of you."

Keith smirked. "Aye-aye sir," he said, mock saluting.

Lance followed suit, before returning his hand to the controller.

Shiro flushed red and kept his eyes on the screen, intently watching Lance click through the game.

Keith chuckled, glancing up towards Lance. He gently tapped Lance's leg. "Can you pause your game so I can get up?" he asked.

Lance pressed the start button and the menu screen popped up. While unwrapping his arms from around Keith, he lowered his legs so they were flat on the ground so it would be easier for Keith to stand. He was sad to see Keith go, but he got it. They'd spent the whole afternoon together and Keith had barely gotten to see Shiro. Lance supposed this was just something he would have to get used to.

Keith smiled, lightly tapping Lance's knee as he stood. In a moment of impulse, he bent and pressed his lips against Lance's cheek. "Thanks," he whispered before sitting on the bed beside Shiro, laying his head against the older man's shoulder.

Lance smiled at the kiss and hummed, before turning back to his game. He already felt colder. Lance held in his sigh as he folded his legs underneath him.

Shiro's stomach flipped a little as Keith sat next to him and rested his head on his shoulder. He reached an arm around to hold him closer. "Hey, babe," he murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple. "How was your date with Lance?"

"Hmm. Good. Ate some food," he said, sniffing slightly. "How was meeting up with Curtis?" he asked, smirking slightly.

Lance snorted quietly at the food comment.

Shiro coughed a little. "Uh, good. It went good." His voice raised a few pitches in his embarrassment.

Keith smirked fully at Shiro's discomfort after sending a small glare at Lance's snort. He ate, damn it. "Good," he said. "Glad he didn't give you trouble about this whole...imprinting thing."

Shiro shook his head a little as he squeezed Keith closer. "No, of course he wouldn't. He's had other relationships before. We both understand."

Keith nodded. "Just don't want to cause either of you more trouble than I already am."

Shiro leaned his head against Keith's. "You're no trouble at all. Never have been." He had been a little difficult when Shiro first met him, but he had never minded, never considered him troublesome. He hummed gently, thoughtfully. This felt nice.

Keith laughed softly. "Think Iverson would say otherwise."

"Iverson doesn't matter here." Shiro pointed out. "Only we and Lance do."

Keith smiled. "True."

Shiro hummed and rearranged them so Keith was in front of him, back pressed to his chest.

Keith leaned against Shiro's chest, turning his face to rub his cheek against it, nose wrinkling briefly before soothing out. "Any word from my mom?" he asked Shiro, looking up at him. The Blade member was out on a mission with Kolivan and Kosmo seeking a lost member. Keith had wanted to go help but couldn't.

Shiro looked down, rubbing a hand up and down the top of Keith's arm soothingly. "Kolivan checked in to say they located her, their shuttle should be back tomorrow. Krolia was attending to some injuries at the time, so the comms officer didn't speak with her directly." He paused. "I know you wanted to go with. It all worked out in the end, though. Plus I'm sure she'll be glad to know you spoke with us."

Keith hummed, almost sounding like a purr as he shifted slightly so he was almost sitting sideways in Shiro's lap. He frowned. "Was she injured or Nebria?" he asked, suddenly worried for his mom.

Shiro melted a little at the purr and Keith shifting to make himself more comfortable. That was such a nice noise. "Nebria. Minor injuries, as far as I know, but serious enough to require field dressings."

Keith let out a sigh of relief, his body slumping slightly as he relaxed and his eyes sliding shut. A small part of him hoped that it would be a little bit before she or himself were assigned to another mission, it'd been a while since they'd been able to spend any time together. Plus having Kosmo back would be nice.

Shiro felt Keith sag in relief and guided him so he was leaning his head in the crook of Shiro's neck. "Did you get any training in today? Might help calm your nerves."

"A little bit," Keith answered. "Was too worked up about the conversation to focus," he said, purring softly as he cuddled close to Shiro.

Lance smiled at the purr he could hear coming from Keith. A small bit of sadness washed over him at the fact that it wasn't him causing the sound, but he squashed it quickly, telling himself he was just happy that Keith was happy. He would just focus on his game, yeah. He wouldn't think about the fact that his boyfriend was being comforted by someone else...that his boyfriend was also dating...this was going to be a lot tougher than he originally thought.

Shiro made a sympathetic noise. Keith had been so nervous. "All's well that ends well," Shiro soothed as he ran his fingers through the ends of Keith's hair.  _ Wow, that's soft, _ he thought to himself. He had never let himself feel it too closely before. He glanced over at Lance, seeing the Cuban play his game. He wanted him over here so Keith would be happier... but that wasn't something he should do. At the very least, not without talking to him. Sitting on it would eat him alive and Curtis would probably kill him, so he resolved he would talk to him tonight when Keith left.

Keith yawned, nuzzling against Shiro's chest. He frowned slightly. An uncomfortable feeling was beginning to creep up on him, his chest feeling funny. He swallowed, confused as to this sudden milase that hit him. He ran a hand down his face. This wasn’t how he wanted his first night with his mates to go. He loathed being ill in front of people. He hated being weak in front of others, he’d rather curl up in his room and suffer in solitude which is exactly what he planned on doing. He swung his legs back forward, so his back was to Shiro's chest. "I'm going to head to bed," he announced, realizing it was early for him, and he wanted nothing more than a soft bed and some cuddles but he felt like he probably would have to settle with his comforter for tonight. He stood up, pressing his lips to Shiro's temple before moving towards Lance.   
  
He grabbed his tablet off the floor before giving Lance another kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for dinner," he said before heading out of the room after wishing both of his new boyfriends a good night.   
  
He headed straight to his room, peeled off his boots and pants. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and threw his jacket over the back of his chair before curling up in bed. He wrapped his comforter tight around his body, seeking warmth. As his eyes fluttered shut he hoped he wasn't becoming ill.   
  
And he also wished he had his boyfriends to keep him warm.

"Anytime." Lance called as Keith kissed his cheek and left...somewhat abruptly. "Bye." He glanced at Shiro, a confused look on his face.

Shiro blinked in the wake of Keith bolting out of his hold fairly quickly. He almost started after him, concern on his face before he kissed Lance goodnight and walked out the door. "Good night," he called just before the door clicked shut. He turned to look at Lance, who was mirroring his confusion. "I know he hates being around people when he's sick. Maybe he's coming down with something?"

Lance furrowed his brows in thought. "Maybe." He agreed, turning back to his game.

He watched Lance play Killbot for a few minutes, fidgeting a bit as he did so. Finally he worked up the nerve to utter a "Hey, can we talk for a minute?" toward the other man.

Lance froze briefly. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but it also made him swallow nervously. "Uh, yeah, just gimme a sec. I have to find a save point." Lance trekked back to the last save point he'd found and saved twice, just in case, before reaching forward to turn the console and tv off. It was silent for a moment before Lance turned to face Shiro. He placed his hands in his lap and clasped them together. "What's up?"

Shiro nodded in understanding and stared at his hands until Lance turned off the machine. The silence that followed felt heavy to Shiro and he swallowed in response before looking over to his Blue Paladin. "I uh, wanted to tell you how appreciative I am of your understanding about both of us dating Keith. I know it can't be easy for you." He started off easy, not quite ready to jump into the bolder stuff yet.

Lance laughed nervously. "Yeah, in all honestly it's not quite what I imagined having my first boyfriend would be like, but it is what it is, I guess. I'll figure it out." Lance rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he spoke. "I, uh, guess I should say the same for you, though. Thanks for being cool about me dating Keith too."

Shiro nodded. "Of course. There's no reason for me not to be." A pause before he decided to just put it out there. "So, I have to let you know before this gets incredibly awkward, but I think I have a crush on you too." There. That wasn't that hard to get out. He just had to worry about Lance's reaction now, as he began to watch him carefully.

Lance's eyes widened and a blush rose quickly across his face. Lance was quiet for a few moments while his mind went haywire. The word 'Yet' floated through his thoughts as he remembered the events of earlier that day. 'That's cute' trailed through not long after. Lance had told himself he would think about it later, but it seemed later had caught up with him much much sooner than he anticipated.    


Realizing he had been quiet for some time, Lance opened his mouth to speak and ended up closing it and opening it again a few times before any words actually came out. "I, uh, wait-, you-, I-, but..." Lance swallowed and closed his eyes taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he settled for, "What?"

Shiro looked concerned as time dragged on and Lance didn't say a word, just seemed to stare at one spot in shock with a blush on his face.

“ _ That means nothing, you do that when you're startled too, _ Shiro reminded himself.

He watched the other man struggle for words, finally asking for clarification again. Shiro straightened his posture, spreading his hands out and opening his form to explain. "I'm pretty sure I have a crush on you, too. I thought I should tell you because we're going to be so close to Keith at the same time that it might trigger..." He paused, looking for the right word. "Awkward situations?" He tried. That was probably close enough. "When I act like I do in relationships and I extend it to you. So, I wanted to let you know now, just in case I slip. I don't want you to be uncomfortable on my account. Well, apart from how uncomfortable I've made this whole thing." He scratched the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. "So just tell me to knock it off and I will. Eventually I'll get it through my head and it should stop."

"Oh." Lance said, not sure what else to say. His gaze fell to his lap and fingers that were worrying over each other, blush still raging over his cheeks. Shiro liked him? Wow. Curtis, Keith and now Lance? How many were there? Lance couldn't wrap his mind around it. Sure, he'd had crushes on multiple people before, but one of them always took the lead until the others just faded away, but it didn't seem like that's how it worked for Shiro. Shiro apparently just kept adding people.

What did Shiro want from him? Did he want Lance to date him too? Did Lance want to date Shiro? Sure, he was attractive.  _ Very attractive _ , Lance's brain so helpfully provided, seemingly done with it's freak out from earlier. But...no. He didn't. Lance just didn't feel that way about him. At least, he didn't think so. He'd never really thought about it before.

"Um...I guess...could you give me an example?" Lance asked, still looking at his lap.

Shiro hummed, thoughtful. At least he wasn't freaking out as visibly anymore, and he wasn't throwing him out of his quarters. "The most likely instance would be physical affection. Casual touches, hugs, petting or playing with hair." He paused. "Cuddling might actually work better if we're all in a pile, to be honest. Keith wouldn't have to go back and forth as much. But I won't suggest anything you don't want," Shiro insisted. "I just, uh, reacted a little hard to something you did earlier which made me realize and I wanted to give you full disclosure as soon as I could."

Lance furrowed his brows, thinking back to earlier and if he had noticed Shiro reacting weird to something he did, but nothing came to mind. "Um..." Lance started, bringing a hand to the back of his neck again. "I'm cool with hugs and stuff. I guess the hair is fine too, although I should warn you it puts me to sleep like really fast." He laughed a bit nervously, but that seemed okay. Most of that stuff he already did with Hunk, and sometimes Pidge. He could add Shiro, right? "Cuddle piles are fine, too. I have a big family so I'm kind of used to it. We're all pretty touchy-feely, so." He paused. "Um...but, Shiro? I guess if we're doing the full disclosure thing...I don't, um...I mean I've never really...thought about you...that way. So I'm not..." Lance sighed. "Sorry."

Shiro nodded along, glad Lance wouldn't be too weirded out by anything he did accidentally. Everything was fine until Lance let him down, but even then it was pretty gently, all things considered.   
  
"No, I completely understand." Shiro held his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's just my wires getting crossed, probably. I know you're fully committed to Keith, and I respect that. I'm not expecting anything." It hurt a little in an abstract way, but not anything that would affect him right now. He could mope briefly in private and move on. He wasn't pining or anything. "Thank you for being honest with me and not getting my hopes up. I appreciate it." He put his best smile on and hoped it didn't show the teensy part of him that had foolishly held out a smidgeon of hope.

"Yeah, uh...you're welcome....I guess." Lance glanced up and saw the smile on Shiro's face. It looked just the tiniest bit forced near his eyes, but Lance offered a shy smile in return.

Shiro's smile crinkled into something genuine and fond when he saw Lance's. Regardless of feelings, Lance was still his friend. This wasn't going to change that. He gestured to the controller near the other man's hand. "You got any PvP melee games on that thing? It's been forever since I've had a chance to play one." Not since a few months before Kerberos, probably.

#####  Lance's eyebrows shot up and his smile widened. "Yeah! Pidge and I found one back at the mall a little while ago, but we haven't had a chance to play it much." He turned towards the TV and turned it back on, before switching out the games in the console and reaching for the second controller. As he handed it to Shiro, Lance realized he was glad that the man had stayed. He was a little afraid that things would be awkward between them after the conversation they had just had, and was wondering how they were going to be when they were both with Keith. But it seemed like maybe things would be okay.   
Lance picked up his controller and pressed start, listening to the opening title music.

Shiro made an interested noise and watched Lance start up the game again then shove the controller into his hands. It was nice seeing him so interested in something besides what they had to be as paladins. Rounded him out a bit more. He was glad that he was still reacting normally even after the awkward conversation they'd just had.  
  
He scooted down next to Lance as the title music played, shoulders brushing as Shiro flipped through settings and readied his character. "Whenever you're ready." He had played this one a few times but not enough to know the controls inside and out, probably enough to give him a slight edge but not much.

Lance chose his character and tilted his head from side to side before shooting a grin at Shiro. "I was born ready." 

He pressed start.

Shiro grinned as he pressed start too, signaling the starting graphics for the PvP fight. It had been too long.  
  
After a few minutes he was gritting his teeth, plastic thumb sliding over the controls out of sync with what he wanted, flubbing his buttons when it counted during combos. Lance was winning by a large margin. Shiro laughed a little incredulously. "Didn't think it was this hard," he vocalized as his thumb slipped again, pressing the wrong button in the combo sequence and negating it.

"You just need more practice, newbie. Not everyone can be a gaming prodigy like me." Lance shot a grin over at Shiro as he landed the killing blow. The victory music played as his character struck a pose.

Shiro looked down at his hands on the controller and up at the screen again, seeing Lance's avatar striking a victory pose. "I guess so," he said easily, a small smile on his face despite his frustration. "Best two out of three?"

"You're on." Lance agreed excitedly.   
Two minutes later showed the same screen as before. Lance grinned smugly as he set his controller on the ground and stretched his arms over his head.

Shiro looked visibly irritated this time. "Three of five," he insisted as he glared at the controller.

Lance looked over at Shiro, still smiling. "Alright. Just don't be too disappointed when I kick your ass again," he said, picking up his controller.

Shiro tried his best again, managing to do a lot better and almost,  _ almost _ winning before Lance finished a combo that sent his health bar careening down to zero. "Fuck," he swore as threw the controller away gently. "Zero for three? Really?" He used to be pretty good. He leaned his head back against the wall and moaned softly in protest, eyes staring at the ceiling.

Lance laughed. "You just need more practice, man. Come by whenever you want. You can challenge me again once you've trained up a bit."

Shiro leaned sideways, head falling onto Lance's shoulder, giving in to dramatics. "You just want to make me suffer," he protested. "All that power and you just want to kick my ass across the arena again. I see how it is."

"Darn." Lance said, clicking his tongue. "You saw right through me." The weight of Shiro’s head on his shoulder was warm, but not unpleasant. He strangely didn't feel the need to move away at all. He’d only ever been this comfortable with his family, Hunk, and Pidge, and now Keith too, although he got butterflies in his stomach with the last one, but apparently Shiro had already made a home in Lance's comfort zone. Huh.

"I see everything." Shiro slouched a bit more before he looked up at Lance from his place resting his head on his shoulder. His ears turned red when he realized where he'd landed as a result of his dramatics. "Ah. I can move." He didn't really want to, but he would if Lance wanted him to.

"Its cool. Pidge does this to me all the time." Lance shrugged the shoulder Shiro wasnt leaning on.

Shiro made a confirmation noise and settled in, trying his hardest (and succeeding!) in not nuzzling into Lance's shoulder or neck. That would be too much. That was definitely not friendly. Soon he would figure out how to react appropriately to Lance. "Mind if I hang out and watch you go through campaign mode in something? Not really feeling like going back to my quarters yet." It felt like he would stay up all night, overthinking the entire day. A lot had happened. A lot needed to be processed. He wasn't ready for that yet.

"Sure." Lance replied, switching out the games again. The title song for Killbot played again and he opened his save file.   
Lance wandered aimlessly, mostly just exploring while ignoring the main quest. About an hour or so later, he yawned. "I think it might be bedtime."

Shiro watched Lance's avatar wander around, seemingly aimlessly playing the game to kill time. By the time the younger man had decided to call it quits his eyes were mostly shut, breathing evening out as he dozed. At Lance's words he blinked hard and looked up at him, sitting up sleepily. "Mmkay," he slurred a little, not quite all the way awake yet. He shook his head to try and clear the sleep out enough to walk back.

Lance turned off the console and TV again and stood, stretching. He yawned again then looked at Shiro, who looked like he could fall asleep right there on the floor. "You gonna be okay going back to your room?"

Shiro nodded, forcing himself up to his feet. "Yeah, I'm good," he reassured the other man. "Not like it's a tough walk or anything." Strictly indoors, no wayward nosy neighbors to contend with. Just the hallways and whatever personnel were on shift. He moved to the door and started pulling his shoes on. "Thanks for letting me come over and borrow your shoulder for a bit." Shiro shot Lance a sleepy smile.

Lance smiled back and leaned against the wall. "Anytime."    
  


He watched as the door opened behind Shiro. "Night, Shiro."

Shiro gave him a little wave as he backed up toward the hallway. "Night Lance." He smiled as he stepped out, the door shutting behind him before he made his way back to his room. He unlocked the door with his hand and kicked off his shoes before he fell face-first into the mattress, groaning. He refused to think about today. Once he did, he wouldn't be able to sleep. He instead let himself fall back into that comfortable, semi-sleeping state he'd been in watching Lance play video games . He was out before he knew it.

Lance watched as the door closed behind Shiro and he slumped a little against the wall. Today had been...a lot. He'd gained a boyfriend and been confessed to. Lance was emotionally drained, and he knew the following days would be just as draining. He really was going to have to deal with the tiny stabs of jealousy that shot through him anytime he saw Keith with Shiro. Lance ran a hand over his face and moved over to his bed, where he flopped down on his back, looking at the ceiling. He was glad that he and Keith were together. He'd only been dreaming about it since the Garrison and it was finally happening, just not quite how he imagined. There wasn't a third person for one. How was this even going to work? Would they trade off days or something? Like Monday, Wednesday, Friday were Lance's days and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday were Shiro's and Sunday was just up in the air? Lance didn't want to do that. He didn't want to have to share. Lance groaned. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Sure, he really liked Keith, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered whether he'd be able to do it. He knew the jealousy was only going to get worse as time went on. Maybe he could just find a way to never see them together? Pretend it wasn't a thing. That could work! Except it really wouldn't.   
  


Lance sighed and turned onto his side, taking a deep breath. His eyes narrowed at the scent. Of course. Why wouldn't his sheets smell like Shiro. And Keith a little bit, but mostly Shiro. Lance debated changing them, but decided he was too tired. He would just deal with it. Just like everything else that was going on in his life. He would figure it out. Just like he always did. And he would talk to Hunk. Yeah. Hunk could help him figure this out. Maybe he'd go see his best friend for lunch tomorrow.    
  


Feeling a little better now that he had something of a plan, Lance yawned and scooted over so he was fully on the bed and snuggled into his pillow. His eyes fluttered shut and he thought of Keith. A smile stretched over his lips as he drifted into dreams.

Shiro woke up slowly, face still planted into his pillow, groaning as he realized he hadn't switched into pajamas and now his clothes were very, very uncomfortably stuck to him from sleep. He buried his face a little deeper as he started to orient himself and remember everything that happened with the day yesterday.

Work.

Keith talking to them about Imprinting and how he'd done it to both of them. Oddly enough, that hadn't been unexpected. Keith was always close to Lance, even if he never wanted to admit it. This seemed like an extension of that.  _ Literally is, they've been mated for a year, _ he reminded himself.

Agreeing to date. Something Shiro had never known he'd be allowed, still technically  _ wasn't _ , but they could be quiet. Lance was being accommodating.  _ But how long until he stops and wants him for himself, and throws you under the bus? _ Shiro shook his head. Lance wouldn't do that just because of his jealousy... right? He hoped not, the feeling of finally being able to cuddle and touch Keith whenever he wanted was something he wasn't sure he could go without, now that he had it. Since he had come back from the space whale and grown out of the kid Shiro had helped raise, the older man had deliberately been distancing himself in order to avoid being punched in the gut repeatedly by how pretty he was, how much Shiro wished he could go up to him and kiss him, his brain singing  _ mineminemine _ as he did so. It was easier to hole himself up on the bridge and see him only sometimes, on the training deck or during missions when there was something to distract him.

Then going to see Curtis after all of that. Maybe it was the knowledge of the imprint, but that part was starting to feel a little strange, he realized with some confusion. Like Shiro was clinging to normalcy to ground himself despite the need for the relationship to still exist. But he didn't want to give Curtis up. He'd been through a lot with him, PTSD nightmares and promotions, flight tests and stupid trips out to the desert at night. They had history. But Shiro felt like their roles were shifting again, shifting back.

Work after that, then going to see Keith and Lance after. The rightness of cuddling with the Red Paladin while they watched the other man play video games. Keith leaving abruptly, something to check up on during his break today, followed by confessing to Lance and realizing he might be a little in over his head, liking three people at once. It felt like his emotions were stretched thin, ready to snap. But Lance didn't like him that way, so he would be fine. It would all be okay. Even if Lance let him rest his head on his shoulder and fall asleep on him.  _ Mixed signals, _ his brain whispered traitorously. He shook his head. It was just Lance being accommodating of Shiro's weird quirks again. It would be fine. Was fine. His brain could stop whispering at him, his stomach could stop swooping just a little.  _ Stop, _ he pleaded a little toward it. He couldn't do two new relationships at once.

His alarm finally went off and he rolled over to slap at it, silencing it. He peeled off his old clothes and showered quickly, pulling on his uniform and heading down to the galley for breakfast. A few people greeted him but fortunately enough nobody had an extended chat with him - Shiro had an early shift and nobody was terribly conversational in the morning unless they had to be. One mug of coffee and some pancakes later he was on the bridge, off to the side as Allura took care of Captain's duties. She spared enough time to smile at Shiro before her attention was drawn elsewhere and Shiro busied himself with the tactical screens and checklists in front of him.

A ringing interrupted the argument Lance was having with Zarkon.  _ Pineapple didn't go on pizza, damn it _ , Lance thought as he blinked his eyes open. For a moment, Lance wondered where he was before he realized he had fallen half out of his bed and was staring at the floor underneath his forehead. He used his arms to push himself back onto his bed and turned over, groaning as his back popped a few times.

Lance rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and then reached blindly over to the bedside table behind him to swat at the alarm. He didn't have anywhere to be today, why did he even set it. Lance almost let himself close his eyes and go back to sleep before he remembered why he should get up. Keith.

Lance smiled up at his ceiling at the thought of seeing his boyfriend. Boyfriend! Maybe Keith would want to get breakfast together? His smile faded. Unless he was already with Shiro. A small pang of sadness washed through him and he let himself actually feel it this time. This was how it was going to be, wasn't it. Lance closed his eyes and let out a sigh through his nose. It would be okay. It had to be. He wouldn't let this come between him and Keith. He was better than that. Better than the jealousy.

Lance shook his head and opened his eyes as he got up and went to his bathroom. He took a quick shower and let all the bad feelings wash down the drain along with yesterday's dirt, and when he finished his morning skincare routine and stepped out of the bathroom, he felt a lot better.

Lance would go see Keith and if he wasn't there, then he would just go see Hunk early. Lance nodded to himself and pulled on some clothes, happy to have a plan. When he was finished, he shoved his feet into his shoes and left his room, locking the door behind him.

A short trek later and Lance was standing before Keith's room, a big smile on his face. He knocked on the door in front of him five times in the recognizable rhythm and waited for the answering two knocks. Or some sort of response for him to come in. If Keith didn't know basic earth cheers, he probably wouldn't know ‘the knock’.

Keith groaned when he heard the knocks, half rolling over to glare at the door. He felt like shit. He woke up a couple hours ago and had no intention of moving from the bed. Of course, he would get sick the day after confessing his feelings to both Shiro and Lance. It was probably one of them at the door now. Nuzzling back into his pillow, he rolled back over to face the wall, groaning a "Come in." while doing so. He closed his eyes as he waited for the door to open.

Lance chuckled, it sounded like maybe Keith had just woken up. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He looked over at the bed and saw Keith still in it, facing away from him. He made his way over and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Mornin', sunshine," Lance said, cheerfully, but quietly.

Keith mumbled something that could hopefully pass a response, turning over and gently grabbed Lance's shirt hem, pulling it softly.

Lance looked down at the hand tugging on his shirt and then at Keith, before turning and laying down on his back next to his boyfriend.

Keith hummed, shifting over so he could nuzzle his face against Lance's shoulder, his arm resting on his boyfriend's stomach.

Lance maneuvered carefully so he could snake one arm around Keith and pull him closer, so his head rested on his chest and then intertwined his fingers with Keith's on his stomach. Lance looked down at Keith as he used his left hand to brush some stray hair away from Keith's face. He paused when he noticed Keith felt a little warm. He unlocked their fingers and brought a his hand up to Keith's forehead. "Babe, you're hot." Lance stated, brows narrowing in concern. He suddenly remembered Shiro saying something about how Keith might not have been feeling well last night.

Keith forced his eyes open, a single eyebrow raising as he peered up at Lance. "Thanks?"

Lance looked at Keith, confused, before his eyes widened a bit in understanding and he huffed a laugh. "No, I mean you're burning up. I think you might have a fever. Not that you're not hot. 'Cause you totally are."

Keith shrugged. Being sick wasn't that big of a deal. It was something that happened frequently enough that he’s learned to deal with it. ( it was probably due to his lack of self care but Keith wasn't going into that mental argument right now). It wasn't like the world stopped because he had a case of the sniffles. He nuzzled into Lance's chest. "I run a degree higher than you, that's probably what you're feeling," he muttered. It probably wasn't but he didn't want to give Lance a reason to worry. Lance had enough on his plate with the imprinting thing and the new relationship. Keith was fine.

Lance hummed and furrowed his brows. He wasn't sure that was it, but he didn't think they were at that stage yet where he could push it. He had when they were just friends, but there was a difference between being the nagging friend and the nagging boyfriend. He was used to being the nagging friend. Nagging boyfriend was new, and he wasn't sure how much of their dynamic had changed and if it would be appreciated or not. He could always just keep an eye on him today and do something if it seemed to get any worse. "So what's the plan for today?"

Keith glanced up, frowning. "Are you going to make me get out of bed?"

"Probably." Lance smiled. "Food is a thing. And don't try to tell me you're not hungry. You barely ate anything for dinner yesterday and if I know you at all, you most likely didn't eat lunch either." He poked Keith's side gently. "But if you wanted to be lazy today that's fine with me, if you wanted company. Just as long as you eat."

Keith sighed. Lance was right. Food was a thing but damn if he couldn't find an ounce of energy in him to actually get it or eat it. He smirked, cuddling closer to Lance. "I'll always want your company," he answered.

"Awww, same goes for you, babe!" Lance leaned down somewhat to kiss the top of Keith's head. It was a bit of a reach, but he managed.

Keith chuckled. Leaning up, he pressed his lips against Lance's cheek before sitting up. He ran a hand through his hair, getting it out of his face before stretching. He couldn't help but frown slightly. His chest felt weird - tense. He ran a hand over it before mentally shrugging. It was probably a cold or something.

Lance took a deep breath and let it out quietly before sitting up next to Keith. "You missed." Lance said, looking over at Keith, forcibly subduing the faint blush that wanted to cover his cheeks.

Keith glanced at Lance, smirk on his face. "Well, you are the sharpshooter," he replied, looking at Lance with a fond look in his eyes before he leaned forward to press a kiss to Lance's forehead, then leaning his against it. "Missed again," he muttered.

"And at such close range, no wonder you fight with a sword, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." Lance teased, eyes shining as he looked into Keith's, a smile gracing his lips.

Keith smirked. "Maybe I need someone to teach me. Up to the challenge, sharpshooter?"

"Time and place, samurai." Lance smirked back.

Keith chuckled softly. "What about here and now?"

Lance rolled his eyes and growled. "Keith, just kiss me." But he didn't wait for his boyfriend to move. Instead, Lance brought his hand up to thread through the hair at the base of Keith's neck and hold him there as Lance tilted his head and moved in, pressing his lips firmly to Keith's.

Keith laughed, and it was quickly smothered by Lance's kiss. He reached up and gently cupped the side of Lance's face as he responded.

Butterflies exploded in Lance's stomach and he smiled into the kiss. This was easily becoming a new favorite activity. Sure, it was a little awkward and messy, neither of them had much (or any) experience in the kissing department, but it was still amazing. Keith's lips were soft, maybe a little chapped, but felt wonderful again Lance's own.

Keith smiled into the kiss, his thumb rubbing against Lance's cheekbone. A high pitched chirp bubbled out of his chest, causing Keith to break the kiss and look away from Lance, face bright red.

Lance grinned. "That good, huh?" He brushed some hair away from Keith's face and tucked it behind his ear.

Keith frowned, blush still on his face. "No it was horrible." He deadpanned, still not having enough strength to look Lance in the eyes.

Lance laughed. "We'll just have to practice more then." He took Keith's hand in his own and twined their fingers together. " _ I _ liked it. Just for the record." Lance coughed, ignoring the faint blush on his cheeks.

#####  Keith chuckled. Turning back around, Keith let his head drop to Lance's shoulder, forehead pressed against Lance's neck. "You're a dork." _And I love you,_ Keith continued mentally. He knew he loved both of his mates already, with liking them as long as he had. Add in the year of actually getting to know the man, he found that his youngest mate was a wholesome, kind man that had moments of insecurity. Lance loved with his whole heart and soul and Keith knew he would do everything in his power to not hurt those two things.

"I'm  _ your _ dork." Lance smiled, resting his head lightly on Keith's. It was nice that he could finally do this. He could do this forever, and Lance decided then and there that he would do anything to make that happen. Even if that meant sharing Keith with Shiro. If he could have moments like this where he was just this unbelievably happy and content, he would walk through hell, he would go fight Haggar alone, he would take that leap of faith...

So, Lance took a breath and stepped off the cliff, letting himself fall hard and fast, hoping that when he finally reached the bottom, Keith would be there to catch him.

Keith hummed, nuzzling the side of Lance's neck. "That you are." He let his eyes close once more, tired for unknown reasons.

Lance hummed. He let them sit for another minute before gently shaking Keith's hand in his own. "You ready? Breakfast awaits."

Keith sat up, blinking for a few moments before nodding. "Just give me a second," he said, getting out of the bed. He grabbed a change of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later in his casual clothes and his hair done half up, his bangs pulled back but the rest of it down. "I'm ready now if you are."

Lance nodded and waited for Keith to change. When he came back out of the bathroom, Lance stood and walked over to him. Offering his arm, Lance smiled. "Allow me to escort you, good sir."

Keith chuckled but took Lance's arm. "You're lucky you're cute," he said, kissing Lance on the cheek.

"I know," Lance said, cheekily and led them out of the room, letting Keith lock the door behind them, before sliding his hand down Keith's arm and taking his hand.    


He once again led them to the galley and into the food line. "Anything look good to you?" Lance asked, staring at the menu himself. Crepes. Crepes sounded delicious.

Keith glanced up at the menu, nothing jumping out at him. If it were up to him, he would get his usual cup of tea and maybe a bit of fruit, but he had a feeling Lance wouldn't like that. "Just get me whatever you are," he said with a small shrug, "and a white tea please." He requested, blushing slightly. He would have to get used to this whole asking for things thing.

Lance smiled and winked. "Sure thing, princess." He moved them forward and frowned at Pietro. "They have you on breakfast after working dinner last night?"

"Jeremy was sick this morning, so I offered to fill in. Mila is working a double anyway. We'll get off at the same time today." The chef answered, smiling fondly as he talked about his wife.

Lance waggled his eyebrows. "Got anything exciting planned?"

Pietro laughed. "Nah, we thought we'd just have a lazy day. It's been a while since we just  _ were _ together. It'll be nice. But anyway, what can I get you two lovebirds?"

Lance grinned. "We'll have two crepe specials with a coffee, french vanilla cream, don't look at me like that, I know you have some, and a white tea. Babe, did you need any milk or anything in your tea?" he asked, turning to look at Keith.

Keith shook his head. "No, thank you."

"Okay." Lance nodded, turning back to Pietro. "Nothing in the white tea, thanks."    
  


"Coming right up." Pietro smiled. The chef looked behind them and then, seeing that there was no one, turned to Keith. "So, it's nice to finally meet you. I've seen you in here a few times, but never got the chance to say hello. Lance here used to talk about you all the time." He smirked at Lance. "Now that you guys are together, I can't see that changing." Pietro stuck out his hand. "I'm Pietro."   
  


Lance rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and chuckled sheepishly, a light blush settling over his cheeks.

Keith smirked towards Lance before turning back to Pietro, eyes wide before taking the cook's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said simply, bashful around strangers.

Pietro smiled and turned to hand over the trays of food. "Don't be a stranger, come say hi every now and then," he said warmly.   


"Thanks, Pietro." Lance smiled, untangling his hand from Keith's to take their trays. "See you later!"   


"Bye, boys!" Pietro called as they walked away.   


Lance led them over to a table and set Keith's tray down before setting his own across the way and sitting down. Everything looked delicious.

Keith nodded at Pietro and his farewell before following behind Lance. He sat down and waited for Lance to do the same before taking a sip of his tea. "Thanks for the food," he said.

Lance hummed and dug into his food. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. And he was right, the crepes were delicious.

Keith sipped his tea, periodically taking bites of the crepes. They were good, he just didn't have an appetite today. He played with his food more than eating it.

Lance noticed Keith picking at his food and stopped eating, even though he was mostly finished. When had that happened? "You okay? Do you not like it? I can grab you something else if you want."

Keith shook his head. "It's fine, just not hungry today," he said with a small shrug before he forced himself to take another bite just for Lance's sake.

Lance furrowed his brows. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

Keith shook his head. "I'm just not fully awake yet," he said, "and I don't usually eat breakfast except maybe some fruit and tea." He really didn't want to worry Lance. He didn't want to burden him with something as trivial as Keith eating.

"Okay," Lance said. He could tell Keith was just trying to keep him from worrying, but it wasn't working. He pushed around the rest of his food on his plate, not really wanting to eat it anymore, but in the end, just popped it into his mouth. He was never one to leave food unfinished, it wasn't ever allowed in his house, so Lance was proud to say he was a platinum member of the Clean Plate Club.

Keith frowned. He knew he was making Lance worry and he didn't want to. He forced himself to take a few more bites before he couldn't anymore, half the crepe still on the plate. He finished his tea and glanced up at Lance. "Lance, really, I'm fine."

Lance hummed. He wanted to believe Keith, but..."What did you want to do today? I know earlier you just wanted to stay in bed. Did you want to go back to your room?"

Keith shook his head. "I should probably train, check in with the Blades and stuff. I slacked off yesterday," he said, leaning forward and kneading his forehead with his fingertips. "If you want, you can come with to train with me." He offered.

Lance looked at his boyfriend, concern etched into his face. Did Keith have a headache too? Maybe he should stick with him today, make sure he was really alright. "Sounds good to me." He forced his face to relax and he smiled. "Ready then?"

Keith nodded, picking up the trays this time and throwing the garbage away. He looked back at Lance, offering his hand with a shy smile.

Lance smiled and took the offered hand, lacing their fingers together. "Lead the way."

Keith smiled and did as he as he was told. They walked languidly through the halls as Keith led them towards the training room locker rooms to change into more comfortable clothing.

Lance untangled his fingers from Keith's and opened his locker, stripping off his casual wear and putting on his training clothes. He wasn't sure what they would be doing so he grabbed wraps for his hands and put them in his pocket.

Keith quickly changed before stuffing his casual clothes into the locker. He turned to Lance, slightly wincing when a dull pain went through his chest.  _ What the fuck is going on? _ he thought, unconsciously rubbing his chest. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yup. What did you have in mind?" Lance asked as they walked into the training area.

"Mind holding the bag while I warm up?" he asked, gesturing towards the punching bag.

"Sure," Lance replied going to stand behind the bag and positioning himself to best absorb the hits. He smirked. "Be gentle."

Keith sent his boyfriend a small glare. "Really?" he asked, giving the bag a gentle jab. "After the tickle fight with Shiro, I would've thought you liked it rough," he said with a smirk, giving the bag a second, harder punch.

Lance laughed. "Caught on that quickly, did you?"

Keith chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with both of you." It was a legitimate concern of his although he said it in a joking manner this time. He knew both Shiro and Lance had sexual attractions. Shiro wasn't foreign to casual sex and was in an open relationship while Lance seemingly was a virgin but would probably eventually want to have sex. On most days, he was indifferent with the aspect of sex and him being a participant of it. He could throw a dirty joke as good as anyone else but on some days, beyond heavy kissing, Keith usually felt ill at the idea and moved far, far away from it. It was that reason that he offered both of his mates open relationships. While he would love to keep Lance and Shiro for himself he also knew that both men had needs -- needs that he probably would never fulfill.   
  
He gave the bag a few harder punches. He tried to ignore the tightening, painful sensation in his chest. He just needed to get out of his head and focus on training

Lance took the punches through the bag and held his ground. He let the silence wrap around them comfortably as they went through warming up.

Keith continued to warm up, moving up to bounce on the balls of his feet and jab the bag. He actively ignored the pain that was escalating in his chest or his hard attempts at bringing air into his body. Sweat dripped down from his hairline. On a jab, he stumbled, practically falling into the bag, his arms wrapping around it in an attempt to stay on his feet.

Feeling Keith stagger against the bag, Lance looked around the side. "Keith? Everything okay?"

Keith shook his head, sliding down to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He leaned against the bag. It was the only thing keeping him up.

Lance's eyes widened and he made sure the bag was steady before kneeling down beside Keith. "What is it? What's wrong?" He took in Keith's sweaty face and pale complexion and placed the back of his hand to Keith's forehead. "Run a degree higher, my ass," Lance muttered under his breath. "Keith, you've got a fever. We need to stop."

Keith grasped at his chest, his heart felt like it was going to explode. He whimpered when a sharp pain radiated through his body. He tipped forward, his forehead coming to rest on the bag as he gritted his teeth.

"Okay, I'm taking you to the med bay. Can you walk?" Lance took one look at Keith and shook his head. "That was a dumb question." He reached forward and leaned Keith back a little so he could slide an arm underneath his knees, the other winding behind his back. He pulled Keith close and then grunted as he lifted Keith and stood. "Hold on tight, sweetheart," Lance said softly and he began walking as fast as he could without jostling Keith too much.

Keith's eyes opened wide as he felt himself being lifted. "Lance-" he started, his head falling to his boyfriend's shoulder, forehead resting against Lance's neck. "I can-" he tried to gasp out. He didn't want Lance to injure himself by carrying Keith throughout the whole ship.

"No," Lance said and continued walking. He could feel the heat from Keith's fever where his forehead was pressed against his neck. Lance had known something was wrong this morning. He had felt warm then, nothing like now, but still, and then he hadn't eaten at breakfast. Not that Keith typically ate much anyway, but he usually made more of a show of pushing his food around on his plate to make it seem like he had eaten more than he had. He should have made Keith go back to the room and lie down. Why did he think training would be okay. God, barely one day in and he was already messing up. Some boyfriend he was. Lance gritted his teeth. He would think about that after he got Keith some help.  _ Please let him be okay _ .

Keith whimpered as his chest continued to radiate pain. He burrowed closer to Lance, gasping softly as he continued to try to catch his breath. A quiet chirp came from him, slightly higher pitched than the ones he'd used before and had a tinge of a whimper mixed in.

Lance's chest constricted at the sound. What did that mean? Was he just uncomfortable? Was he in pain? Whatever it was, it made Lance's heart break to hear it. He held Keith closer and picked up the pace slightly, winding through the halls. Why was this taking him so long?

Keith wrapped an arm around Lance's neck, curling in closer as he other one continued to stay on his chest. Blackness has started to creep in from the sides of his vision. He let his eyes close as he tried to focus on his breathing.

Lance turned the corner and the sliding doors to the med bay came into view. He hurried the last few stepped and waited impatiently for the doors to open before going inside. "Hello? I need help!" Lance called, not seeing anyone in the reception area.   
  


"Lance?" A woman's voice came from the back hallway, before she entered the front room. Her eyes zeroed in on Keith and she grabbed a wheelchair before rushing over. "Tell me what happened."   
  


"Mila." Lance sighed gratefully upon seeing her. "We were in the training room, just doing warm up drills and he suddenly collapsed. I'm pretty sure he's got a fever, and he's having trouble breathing."

Mila gestured for Lance to place Keith in the wheelchair so she could properly examine him. "Cadet Kogane?" She asked, attempting to gain his attention. 

Lance set Keith down in the wheelchair and hovered anxiously by the side. His eyes darted between Mila and Keith as he watched the interaction.  
  
Keith forced an eye open, focusing on the nurse.   
  
Mila took the stethoscope from around her neck, quickly using it to listen to Keith's breathing and heartbeat, a deep frown appearing on her face when she heard the rapid, irregular beat. "Cadet, are you experiencing pain in your chest?"  
  
Keith nodded shakily.

Mila palpitated his neck, mentally filing away how heated the skin was. "On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being unbearable, how sharp is your pain?" she asked.   
  
"Seven?" Keith gasped out.   
  
Mila nodded before looking over her shoulder. She took the wheelchair in hand and started pushing the chair towards the trauma section of the med bay. "I'm sorry Lance but I need to take Cadet Kogane to the back." She paused momentarily to place a hand on Lance's forearm in comfort. "I'll come back as soon as you can come see him, okay?"

Seven? Why didn't Keith say anything? Why didn't Lance notice. How did he let it get to this...Lance started forward when Mila moved to wheel the chair away. At the hand on his arm, Lance stopped and looked at her. Her brown eyes looked back with sympathy as she spoke. Lance nodded shakily. "I'll be here. Take care of him, please."

Mila smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of your boyfriend, hun," she said before wheeling him towards the back.

Lance stood and stared at the spot where they disappeared down the hall for a moment. He came back to his senses a few minutes later and moved slowly to the chairs lining the wall, sinking into one. His head fell into his hands and he took a shuddering breath. What the hell was happening?

"Doctor Sorey!" She waited until a young looking male with bushy brown hair and green eyes rushed over. "BPM 113, short of breath with an elevated temperature." She debriefed as she wheeled Keith over to a vacant bed. "Chest pain, Level 7." She added as she helped the doctor move Keith onto the bed.   
  
The doctor nodded as he checked Keith's eyes with a light and began his own work up. "Get an oxygen mask." He ordered, Mila doing as she was told. "Run a full CBC and get a BP," he added. "How long has this been going on, Cadet?"  
  
"A few minutes." Keith managed to answer before the mask was placed on his face. His face relaxed briefly. The added oxygen was helping.   
  
"Get him on a monitor and push 2 amps of propranolol. Monitor also for adverse results." He gently laid a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Now, we're giving you a drug that will hopefully help to lower your heart rate to a normal level. However, with your hybrid status, the side-effects are a little murky. If you feel anything, let us know right away, okay?"   
  
Keith nodded before he turned and looked as Mila started an IV in his left arm. The doctor looked at Mila. "Keep him on critical status until his heartbeat lowers," he said before walking away.   
  
Mila sighed as she finished up the IV. "You probably gave Lance a heart attack, hun," she said before smiling sheepishly. "No pun intended."   
  
Keith gave a breathy chuckle. Mila stood and lightly patted Keith's shoulder. 'I'll go grab him, okay? I'm sure he's itching to get back to see you," she said before heading out towards the waiting room.   
  
"Lance?"

Lance's head shot up and out of his hands at the sound of his name. "Mila. How is he?" he asked quickly, standing and moving over towards her.

Mila smiled softly. "He's getting treatment," she stated. "He's on medicine to lower his heart rate and he's on oxygen." She told him, opening the door. "And probably missing his boyfriend." She smirked suddenly. "He's cute. Cuter than I thought. You, mister, need to work on your describing skills," she said with a small wink.

Lance blushed and rubbed the back of his neck as he followed her through the door. "I think anyone kind of gets an idea in their head when I say 'mullet'. But either way you're wrong. He's not cute, he's gorgeous. I'm still kind of afraid this is a dream." He laughed a little. "I'm so lucky."

Mila laughed. "Oh, honey, you’ve got it bad." She lightly grasped his forearm. "I'm happy for you two though. Wanna see him?"

She was right. He did. "Yeah." He nodded, swallowing.

Mila led Lance towards Keith, gesturing towards him. She took his vitals once more -- frowning slightly at the temperature and heartbeat vitals -- before lightly patting his knee. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," she said before walking away, humming a soft tune as she did.   
  
Keith glanced towards Lance, his purple eyes hidden underneath droopy lids. Another whimper tinged chirp came from him.

Lance's heart ached at the sound and he moved to sit down in the chair next to the bed. "Hey, sweetheart, how're you doing? Better?"

Keith shrugged. "Not on the floor anymore," he muttered through the mask. "Sorry for this." He didn't want to worry Lance and now he was sitting in the hospital probably causing Lance to grow gray hair. This was supposed to be a relaxing day, not one where he was practically dying. Lance didn't deserve this. He deserved a nice day, cuddling with soft kisses.

Lance shook his head. "Don't be. Just focus on getting better." Lance reached forward to cover Keith's hand with his own and he ran his thumb over his knuckles.

Keith hummed softly, his head rolling slightly as he looked fully at Lance. "Not how I pictured our first day as a couple going," he said softly, "and it’s not what you deserve."

"Me neither." Lance chuckled. "But it's not your fault. And I don't mind. Looking after you, I mean. Plus, you don't deserve this either. Once we figure out what's wrong, we can kick this thing to the curb and move on to being super adorable all the time again. We'll get through this, I promise."

Lance tried to put a slight emphasis on the word 'we'. He knew Keith was used to being on his own, but he wanted him to know that Lance wasn't going anywhere. That they would do this and anything after, together.

Keith gave his boyfriend a shaky smile. Adorable was the last word he would use to describe himself but it was perfect for Lance. Lance was adorable personified. And loving. "You don't have to stay here," Keith said softly. "You probably want to go see Hunk or play video games," he said. He didn't want Lance to sacrifice his day to be with him, laid up.   
  
Keith's eyes fluttered shut momentarily before they slowly opened back up. He knew he probably looked utterly pathetic right now but couldn't bring himself to care. What he really wanted right now was a cuddle but he knew it couldn't happen with all the wiring.

Lance shook his head again and smiled warmly. "Nope. No place I'd rather be."

Keith smiled softly, flipping his hand so he could entwine his fingers with Lance's. "I don't deserve you," he muttered, not realizing he had spoken out loud as his eyes drifted shut once more, his body tired and ill.

"I think it's the other way around," Lance murmured softly, gently squeezing the hand holding his own.

Keith muttered something under his breath, half-asleep, another whimper-esqe chirp coming from his chest. His heart rate was still above 100 BPMs and his breathing shallow. He just wanted to feel better. He wanted Lance. He wanted Shiro. He also wanted sleep. He chirped again as these thoughts tumbled through his sick-addled brain.

Lance shut his eyes tight. He didn't quite know what the noises meant, but he was sure they weren't good. He wanted to cry the more he heard them.

Keith drifted in-between sleep and awake. He wanted to sleep almost desperately but he also couldn't relax with his heart feeling like it was about to pop out of his chest and practically gasping for breath.   
  
Mila approached them, setting a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Hey," she greeted softly, "He isn't improving like we thought he would," she said. "So the doctor ordered some more tests to see if it's whatever is affecting him or his hybrid heritage making the medicine null and void," she explained. "But we need you to leave again so we can take him to do those tests. I'll give you guys a couple of minutes so you can say goodbye, I have to go grab a couple of things anyway," she said before leaving once more.  
  
Keith opened his eyes, exhaustion darkening the purple irises. "More tests, just what I wanted," he deadpanned.

"It'll be okay. They'll figure out what's going on and then we can get you all better, alright? But uh, I can't stay. I'm sorry." Keith looked so tired. He hoped they could figure out what was wrong quickly.

Keith hummed. "Don't get into trouble while I’m in here," he said, smirking slightly.

"No promises," Lance said, smiling.

Keith chuckled, weak and breathy. "Just make sure Shiro gets all the paperwork, I don't want to deal with it," he said.   
  
Mila came back in, lightly smacking the back of Lance's head with her free hand. "Don't be giving your boyfriend any stress, mister. You behave," she said, smirking as she placed a handful of various small instruments and vials on the table beside Keith's bed.

"Ah! Yes, ma'am," Lance said, rubbing the back of his head. Seeing her bring in all her things, Lance took that as his cue to leave. He looked at Keith, took a deep breath and smiled. "I'll come back soon, sweetheart." Lance promised, leaning in to kiss Keith on the temple, then letting his forehead rest gently against his boyfriend’s for a moment.   


When he straightened up, he leaned over to Mila and gave her a brief peck on the cheek. "Don't let anything else happen to him. He's kinda important to me."

Keith hummed, leaning into the gentle, comforting kiss. He felt a sense of warmth and love as he watched Lance request that Mila take care of him, something he couldn't remember ever happening before with anyone.   
  
Mila smiled as she watched Lance leave. "You got a good one there."  
  
Keith nodded. "Lucky to have him."  
  
"He feels the same about you, you have no idea how much he talked about you. He's liked you for a while."  
  
Keith smiled bashfully. Part of him felt bad that he waited until the imprinting happened to confess. What would've happened if he said something early on in the Voltron days? Would they be more settled? Would he have imprinted on Shiro? Would they be happier?   
  
Mila lightly tapped his knee, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Well, let’s get you fixed up, hmm? Then you and Lance can go cuddle up in a bed and be all cute and adorable like I know you two are."  
  
Keith couldn't help but blush at that. He leaned back and let his eyes drift shut as Mila started her testing.

Lance left the room and wandered back out into the reception area. It just occurred to him that it was passed the time that Mila was supposed to go home. He looked behind him in the direction he had just came from. He'd have to thank her later for staying late to take care of Keith. And he'd have to apologize to Pietro. Lance sighed and looked around. He could sit again and wait, but...Shiro. He should probably go find Shiro. Keith was his boyfriend too after all. He'd want to know what was going on.

Lance nodded to himself and set out for the bridge. That was the most likely place for Shiro to be. As he walked he let his mind wander. His thoughts settled on the night before when Shiro had confessed. This was going to be the first time they saw each other since that happened. He hoped it wouldn't be awkward.

When he got to the bridge, he looked around, noting that Shiro wasn't there. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. He thought about asking Allura or Veronica, but he spotted Iverson and quickly ducked out. Lance always tried to avoid him at all cost.

_ Maybe Shiro was in his room? _ Lance thought as he began the walk to the CO quarters. When he reached Shiro's door, he knocked a few times, but didn't get a response. "Shiro? It's Lance, I kind of need to talk to you." Hearing nothing, Lance sighed. He supposed it could be lunch time, so he made his way to the galley. Nope, no sign of him. Maybe the training deck? Nope, not there either. Where the hell could he be?

Just as he was angrily walking down another hallway,  _ seriously how hard could it be to find this guy _ , he passed the hanger bay and spotted Krolia within. Lance stopped. He knew he was looking for Shiro, but now that he saw her, he kind of wanted to talk to Krolia too, even if the thought of talking to his boyfriends mom was a little daunting. Especially being who she was.

Lance swallowed and stood up straight before stepping inside. He walked up to her and stopped far enough away that he wasn't intruding on the conversation, but close enough that he was clearly waiting. He stood patiently as she finished her conversation and kept his hands firmly clasped behind his back to keep them from showing any of the nerves he felt.

Krolia's eyes drifted towards Lance momentarily as she started wrapping up her conversation. Beside her, Kosmo gave a short little happy bark before walking over to Lance, nuzzling at the Cuban's hand. Briefly she wondered if Keith finally gained the nerve to tell the Blue and Black Paladin their connection to him. Imprinting was a special thing within the Galran culture and was something that was treasured. Mates were precious. Pack was always at the top of a Galran's list and she knew that for her son, his pack was the Paladins and thus she viewed them closely as her own as well.   
  
She knew her own pack, which included Kolivan, viewed Keith as their own kit and treasured him. She hated to think what would happen if one of Keith's mates mistreated him. A small shred of anger nearly started forming at the mere thought of her son being injured because of one of his mates. They already had things stacked against them with Keith being the only one of Galran decent and the only one that actually felt the repercussions of maliciously treating an Imprint Bond. While the bond would strengthen the protectiveness that the Paladins felt for Keith they didn't feel the need or want to be tactile or what happened at the lack of it unlike Keith who had dealt with it for the past three years, two of those years being on the back of Space Whale with his mother being the only thing that kept him adequately okay.   
  
Once her conversation was done, she turned towards the Blue Paladin, her eyes honing in on the small man wondering what would bring him to speak to her. She knew this one wouldn't hurt Keith -- neither of them would -- the memories from the Whale spoke highly of their connection to him; this one particularly. She felt a small sense of happiness that her son got an attentive, tactile carer. The Blue Paladin was always one of the first to comfort Keith in his times of need, especially when the Black Paladin wasn't to be found. While the Blue one also enjoyed riling Keith up, she saw the want to comfort and care for her son in the Blue Paladin's actions when they spoke and comforted each other in the night. She knew he found a good mate in this one.   
  
"How can I help you?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest as she peered down at Lance, Kosmo leaning into the Blue Paladin's hip with his tongue hanging out.

Lance scratched behind Kosmo's ear and smiled at the wolf. "Hey, buddy," he said softly, giving his attention to the pup while Krolia finished her conversation. When she finally turned to look at him fully, he snapped to attention, ready to be on his best behavior.    


"Hi, uh...Mrs....er...Ma'am." Lance laughed nervously and swallowed. "So, Keith told us, um Shiro and I, that is, about the imprinting thing. And um...well, we're dating now," he said somewhat awkwardly. The next part came out a bit rushed. "And I kind of have some questions if you don't mind and have some time."

Kosmo leaned into the touch, loving the scratches. He looked around, obviously searching for something, whimpering when his search came up with nothing. He leaned into Lance's legs, simply sitting there.   
  
Krolia chuckled when the Blue Paladin snapped to attention and stumbled over what to call her. "You can call me Krolia, you are my son's mate and pack," she said, softening her expression slightly. "And I'm happy Keith finally told you both. What questions do you have?"

"Oh! Uh, yes, well. For starters, I guess, why me? Not that I'm not happy about it, I am! I'm over the moon, but I guess I just don't understand how it happened. Keith mentioned something about biology? How would that even-? I mean wouldn't that mean-? We're all, you know...guys though." Lance started, keeping a hand resting on Kosmo's head for comfort.

Krolia shook her head. "Imprinting doesn't look at the gender but at the bond that the two people have." She started to explain. "Imprinting isn't for reproducing, it's for giving what the Galran subconsciously needs to survive. My son's life...hasn't been the easiest." She frowned. "And what I gathered through his memories on the Whale, he drifted towards you and the Black Paladin because you both gave him what he needed. Comfort. Safety. Stability. Guidance. Laughter. When your bonds got stronger, the Galran side of him realized that you and the Black Paladin would be what he needed to grow to his truest potential and imprinted on you two."

Lance furrowed his brows at the thought of Keith's childhood. Keith had told him a fair bit about it and knew it was very different from his own, but his thoughts turned happier as Krolia described what he provided for Keith. It filled him with warmth to know that a part of Keith had seen how much he had to give and chose him for it, because it knew that Lance would give that and more. Lance would give everything he had and then some. Lance never did anything halfway, especially not with his heart. It was all or nothing. He hoped Keith knew how much he held in his hands and knew that it was a gift and not a burden.   
  


Lance realized he had been silent for a moment and smiled up at Krolia sheepishly. "Sorry, got lost in my thoughts there. Um...I guess my second question has less to do with the imprinting and more with Keith himself. And I would ask him, but I'm not sure he would actually tell me." Lance explained. "He's been making some...noises? And I'm not really sure what some of them mean. I kind of figured out some of them, purring is kind of self explanatory, and the other one is definitely some sort of happy noise, but um...well recently, today actually, he's been making these other noises? He, well he whines sometimes? Or makes this sort of...chirping sound? And I know that it's not good, because it sounds sad, and it makes me sad and I want to help, but I don't know what they actually mean so I don't know what to do and..." Lance looked down at the floor, a little ashamed. He shouldn't have to ask these things, he should be able to take care of his boyfriend. God, he felt useless.

Krolia's head tipped slightly to the right as she heard Lance's question. "Those are Galran non-verbal cues. They naturally grab at the Imprint bond which is why when you hear the distressed noises, you want to help your mate. Galrans rely on these noises to communicate their needs and they're mostly done without the Galran realizing it." Her eyes hardened. "Why is my son making these noises?"

Lance's eyes widened and his stomach dropped at the change in her demeanor. "Um..well, I'm not sure, but uh...he is kind of sick right now. Like in the med bay, sick." Lance provided, then the words just kind of spewed from his mouth. "I thought he was feeling a bit warm this morning, but he insisted he was fine and so we went to breakfast, but then he wasn't eating, but he doesn't eat a lot anyway, so then we went to train and he kind of collapsed in the middle of warming up. When I carried him to the med bay he definitely had a fever and he wasn't breathing very well, plus he kept grabbing at his chest. I'm not really sure, but they're looking into it now. And I wanted to stay with him, but they kind of kicked me out so they could do tests and so I thought I'd go find Shiro and let him know what was going on, but I couldn't find him and then I found you. But now that I think about it, Shiro did say something last night about how Keith might be sick, but he was feeling fine before that I thought. I mean he seemed fine the entire time I was with him. How would Shiro even know anyway, he only spent like an hour with us last night, and that was  _ after _ he went and fooled around with Curtis." Lance narrowed his eyes as he laid out his frustration a bit, not remembering that the audience of his word spew was his boyfriends mother. "I mean, I know they were a thing before Keith said anything, but I just can't even imagine wanting to go to someone else when you could be with Keith. Keith! Like what else would you need? He's perfect! And I know that Keith is ace and everything so there's that, but I still just can't understand-"

Krolia growled, cutting off Lance. Kosmo's fur rose as he stood, growling as well in response. "The Black Paladin did what?" she snapped, her eyes bright with anger.

Shiro sneezed in front of his screen, blinking confusedly.

Lance startled and took a step back, fear coiling in his gut even though he knew it wasn't directed at him.  _ Shit. I don't know why she's mad, but...sorry Shiro, _ he thought as he swallowed. "I uh...what?"

Krolia took a step forward. "You said the Black Paladin mated with another, correct?"

Lance shrunk. "Er...yes? I mean, I'm not positive, but that's kind of what was implied?"

Krolia growled, an angry sounding chirp coming from her chest as her hands curled into fists. Kosmo started circling her feet, confused as to where the threat was.   
  
"Where is the Black Paladin?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Lance shook his head. "I-I don't know. I was actually looking for him when I found you. I checked everywhere, but I couldn't find him."

Krolia's upper lip curled before she looked down at Kosmo. "Find the Black Paladin," she ordered, Kosmo yipping before sniffing the air, trotting off moments later. Krolia followed behind.

Lance stumbled after her. He wasn't sure if he should or not, but his feet had moved of their own accord. Lance felt a pang of pity for Shiro, he had no idea the storm that was coming for him. Lance still wasn't even sure why, but he was very glad he would not be on the receiving end.

Kosmo led them through the ship until arriving at a private meeting room. He sat down and looked at both Lance and Krolia. Krolia bared her teeth and flung the door open, her eyes dialed directly on Shiro. "Black Paladin, a moment of your time," she growled.

Shiro looked up from the tablet, the modules Sam had shown him yesterday on the screen. He stood, looking confused. "Of course, Krolia. Although I'm not able to assist with anything relating to the Blades at the moment, Allura is in charge of that..." He trailed off as he saw Lance behind her. "But I'm guessing this is about Keith?"

Krolia nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Yes," she said simply, her hands curling into fists.

Shiro waited for her to continue before realizing she wasn't going to say anything. "Are...are you mad that I'm dating him? He told us about the imprinting, I was under the impression that you were okay with that..."

He fidgeted with his left hand, thumb rubbing against his knuckles as he made a fist.

Krolia narrowed her eyes. "I am. Imprinting is something every Galran parent wishes for their child and the fact that Keith has two makes me happy to know he will be cared for but you, Black Paladin, have seemingly no idea the gift you have been given. Is my son not good enough for you?" Krolia growled. "Is it because of his heritage? His denial for sex?" Beside her Kosmo growled, picking up Krolia's anger.

Shiro raised his hands placatingly. "What? Of course Keith is..." He trailed off, confused. "I don't care that he's ace or Galran. I'm not going to force him into anything." He looked nervous to be talking about the subject of sex with his boyfriend's mom.

"Then why did you hurt my son by mating with another person outside of your pack?" Krolia growled. "You're killing him as we speak."

Lance's eyes widened in understanding. Curtis. Wait...Keith was sick, no  _ dying _ because Shiro slept with Curtis? How...how does that even make any sense?

Shiro looked even more confused, tinged with a bit of fear. "What? You mean Curtis? Keith said I could still..." He looked at Lance. "What's going on, Lance? Is Keith okay?"

Lance glanced at Shiro. "He's uh...he's in the med bay. He's not doing very well. I came to find you, but I..." He looked at Krolia.

Krolia looked away. "His body is going through a rejection process. Rejection is lethal to Galrans." Her eyes turned towards Shiro. "And it's your fault he's going through that pain."

Rejection? But Shiro didn't reject Keith. He was dating him too. Unless maybe...maybe his Galran side was possessive? Maybe it thought that Shiro sleeping with someone else was him not wanting Keith. Oh. Lance was inwardly glad that he was a one person at a time kinda guy. Monogamy: one. Polygamy: zero.

Shiro's brain stuttered. He looked from Lance to Krolia. "I... I'm confused," he admitted. "Does his body think I'm not committed because I have more than one partner? Because I am. He means the world to me." That was frustrating. They had worked this out. Even if he had planned on breaking up with Curtis eventually, he didn't like being forced. "I didn't mean to make him, or his genes, feel that way. What happens if Lance and I can't work through both of us dating him, then? Will this happen then, too?"

Krolia closed her eyes. "If one of you reject him, he will die," she said plainly. "His Galran side, the side that Imprinted on you, views you two as a necessity to live. Without you two, Keith will go through this process again and die. However, the Imprint wouldn't have happened unless subconsciously Keith's Galran instincts felt that the connection would have worked. You are what he needs to live." Krolia sighed. "While on the Whale with my son for those 2 years, I saw many of his memories, many of them heartbreaking to see, but his later ones, the ones with you two in it, you both have saved my son's life numerous times without realizing it and now I'm hoping you two are not going to be the thing that kills my son."

Lance furrowed his brows and stared at the ground. If he couldn't get over his jealousy...Keith could die? He felt like a giant boulder had been placed on his shoulders.

Shiro's breath hitched a bit. That...didn't really help, but also answered a lot. Questions about imprinting he didn't know he'd had. "And if Lance and I start dating, will this happen again? Will the bond feel threatened?"

Lance's eyes widened at Shiro's words. He and Shiro dating? What? Lance didn't- He thought that he'd  _ told _ Shiro- What the fuck was Shiro even saying? Lance finally looked up, confusion all over his face.

Krolia blinked, slightly confused. She didn't know that the Black and Blue Paladin looked at each other like that. Slowly, she shook her head. "The bond views you two as one entity, it’s why Keith is going through the whole rejection process even though only one partner is rejecting him and the other isn't," she answered.

At Krolia's words, a small wave a relief washed through him.  _ Relief? What? No, no relief. Anger. _ Lance was angry. Why should he be relieved. So what if he and Shiro could date without it affecting Keith. That meant nothing to him, because he  _ did not like Shiro _ .

Shiro looked to Lance. He looked furious. "I know you don't think of me that way, but I had to know if I..." He paused before continuing more quietly. "I needed to know that if this isn't a phase, if I was going to make this happen again." He looked back to Krolia and spoke with confidence. "How do I fix this?"

Lance's face fell and he looked away. He guessed that was fair. It was just a question. Maybe Lance had jumped the gun a bit. A tiny shred of guilt made its home in Lance's heart. He rubbed his arm self consciously and listened to hear what Krolia would say. He wanted to go back to Keith. He wanted Keith to be okay. He wanted...he wanted this to be over…

Krolia looked at Shiro, her eyes slightly softer. It was obvious that the Black Paladin only hurt her son out of ignorance and lack of information but a sharp pang of anger still rang through her body. Instead of nurturing the fresh bond like he should've been, he went and laid with another. Her eyes slightly hardened at that thought. "Go, be with him. Strengthen the bond like Lance did with my son. And never mate with another. Cherish the gift my son gave you," she said before turning away. "My son is a man of many walls, this bond allows you to climb over them but this makes him vulnerable. You two," she looked at them with slightly saddened eyes, "could make him crumble. Kill him and there is nothing I can do. Understand that while this isn't something that happens with humans, this bond is precious for Galrans. Unknowingly, my son gave you his heart and soul...don't drop them," she said before walking away, Kosmo trotting behind her as she made her way to the med bay.

Lance immediately followed after her, jogging a bit to catch up. "I won't," he said quietly, but he knew it was loud enough for her to hear. "I promise.”

Shiro nodded and swallowed hard. Be with Keith. He could do that. He looked at Lance, ready to speak before the other man trotted out the door. That...hurt, but he understood. He cared about Keith more. As Shiro should too. The Black Paladin sighed and called up to the bridge, putting in for the three days of leave for each of them with Allura barring Voltron emergencies, which she looked confused by but approved. After that he started heading toward the med bay, ready to do like Krolia said, be with Keith to strengthen their bond. Even though it kind of scared the shit out of him, he'd see it through.

Krolia glanced at Lance nodding slightly. "Thank you," she said softly as they entered the med bay.

Mila's head popped up from the admission desk, her eyes widening when she saw the three. "Lance and Blade Krolia. You're probably here to see Keith. If you follow me, I can show you." Her eyes widened as she glanced at Kosmo. "Sorry puppers, but you gotta stay out here." Kosmo whined but went and laid down beside the doors, willing to wait.   
  
Krolia and Lance followed behind Mila as she led them to Keith's new private room. "He was asleep when we left, we gave him a low dose sedative. The medicine worked...somewhat." She sighed. "Got his BPM down to 105, which is better but still elevated. His fever is at a 105.3, which with his base temperature being where it is would place it around 104.5 for a normal human to give you perspective."  
  
"Sadly there is nothing you can truly do," Krolia told her. "His body is failing as it goes through the rejection process."  
  
Mila blinked in confusion at Krolia. "Rejection proc- is there a way to fix it?"  
  
Krolia nodded. "We are hoping for it to happen soon," she answered as they approached Keith's door.   
  
Mila smiled sadly. "He just saw me 10 minute ago, I'll let you two go in by yourselves," she said before walking away.   
  
Krolia opened the door, a sad, soft chirp coming from her as she saw the weak, pale form of her kit in the bed. She approached him slowly, gently cupping the side of his face and nuzzling Keith's hair, a quiet rumble purr coming from her - an attempt to comfort her injured kit. She leaned back, sadness in her eyes as she looked at her son.

Lance was about to say hello back to Mila, but she was already ushering them through the hallways to Keith. He honestly didn't mind, but he did stop her as she went to leave them alone with Keith. Watching Krolia enter the room he put a hand on Mila's arm. "Mila. Thank you," he said, looking her in the eye. He hoped his gratitude was coming off. "I'm sorry that you missed your day with Pietro. You didn't have to stay, you could've passed us on to someone else, you-"   
  


"Lance." She interrupted. "I didn't do anything I didn't want to do. I love you, hun. You're family. And anything my family loves, I love. Including him, kiddo." She stated, nodding at Keith.    
  


Lance stood, just staring, his heart full from her words.   
  


"Besides, if his mom's right and there's nothing we can do for him here, then he's got everything he needs right now, so I still have the rest of my evening to spend with my handsome husband." She flashed Lance a brilliant smile and patted him on the arm. "And don't worry about Pietro, I called him when I had a minute earlier and he was worried about your man too. He's not mad."   
  


Lance nodded.    
  


"Now, I've got some paperwork to finish up, so go see your boyfriend." Mila placed a quick peck on Lance's cheek and began walking down the hallway.   
  


Lance turned halfway around and said, "Love you too, Mila."   
  


She just flashed him another smile and continued on her way.   
  


Lance watched her go before turning back to the room and walking inside. His heart sunk at the sight of his boyfriend. He looked so much worse than when he left. Lance took up residence in the chair next to the bed and reached for Keith's hand, curling his fingers over Keith's.

Krolia smoothed back Keith's bangs, his hair out of its tie and sprawled all over the pillow. "He's further in the process than I thought he would be," she said softly. She sat beside her son on the bed, holding his hand in her lap. "He looks small," she said quietly, leaning forward to press a kiss to Keith's forehead, another sad chirp leaving her throat.  
  
At the sound, Keith's eyes fluttered open. Tired purple eyes looked around the room. "Mom? Lance?" he said softly.

"Yeah,  _ cariño _ , we're here," Lance replied, sitting forward a little so Keith could see him better. He brought the hand he was holding up to his mouth and placed a brief kiss to the back, before lowering it back to the bed.

Keith's lips quirked upwards at the kiss. He turned his head towards his mom, his brows furrowing slightly. "Kosmo? "  
  
"Waiting outside, "Krolia answered. "Kit, do you remember what I said about rejection and the process."  
  
Keith nodded. "I figured it out after Lance left," Keith mumbled. "But, how?"  
  
Krolia gently brushed back a lock of Keith's hair behind his ear, a soft, comforting purr coming from her. "The Black Paladin and his...mating with the other man."  
  
Keith shook his head weakly. "But I gave him permission. It's okay," he argued.   
  
"Shh," Krolia said, petting Keith's hair. "Galrans are possessive, kit."  
  
Keith closed his eyes. "So he's stuck with me."   
  
Krolia growled. "Don't make it seem horrible to be with you, Kit. Lance seems to understand the gift that the imprinting is and one day you will too."

Lance blushed a little and looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

Shiro knocked on the door frame, a little anxious about what he would find. He looked to see Lance with his hand in Keith's, and Krolia hovering over her son. "Hey," he said softly as he stepped inside, a little nervous. "How are you feeling, Keith?"

Keith forced his eyes open. A soft, breathy chuckle came from him. "Horrible." Was his answer. He felt horrible physically but also emotionally. He was forcing Shiro to stop his open relationship with Curtis and practically chaining him and Lance to him for the rest of their lives. That wasn't fair. Shiro had gone through so much shit, he deserved to at least be happy about his damn personal life.   
  
Krolia looked at Shiro, narrowing her eyes at him before looking back at her son. She gave him one last kiss on the forehead before relinquishing her spot to drift into the corner of the room, watching over her son from a distance.

Shiro made a sympathetic noise before watching Krolia vacate her spot, eyes telling him to fill her place. He moved forward to press a kiss to Keith's forehead and hold his hand, mindful of the IV he was hooked up to. "I'm so, so sorry," he started, eyes closing as he tried to rein in his emotions. "This is my fault, completely. If I hadn't..."

Keith lifted a shaky hand, reaching up to lightly smacking Shiro's face but missing and weakly hitting the man's chest instead. "Not your fault...didn't know," he said. "If anybody should be sorry, it's me."  
  
Faintly, Krolia growled but she bit her tongue. This was something that had to be settled and fixed by the mates. "I'm going to call Kolivan, tell him Keith will be out of commission for a few days," she said before sliding out of the room.

Lance watched Krolia leave and wondered briefly if he should as well. This didn't really have much to do with him after all. This was between Keith and Shiro.

Shiro looked up at Krolia and nodded. He understood what was happening. She was giving them space. He looked back to Keith. "I'm ending things with Curtis," he informed him, opening his eyes to look into Keith's. "It was for convenience anyways. You matter more than he does." He valued his relationship with Curtis, but wasn't about to let it affect his future with Keith. "I'm sorry I didn't realize before this happened." He brought Keith's hand up a little to press a kiss to the top of it.

_ Good. _ Lance thought.  _ It should have been only Keith in the first place. _ Lance blinked. Perhaps he was still a bit salty.

Keith frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish...I wish you didn't have to." Keith's eyes drifted shut. "It's not like I will ever fulfill either of your guys' needs," he mumbled. "Couldn't even be normal in the human sense either," he muttered before laughing mirthlessly.

Shiro shook his head immediately. "You are perfect, just how you are," he murmured. "I'm weak. I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger for you." He wished Keith could see how good he really was, how Shiro wasn't worthy of him.

"Shiro's right," Lance said finally pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Relationships don't have to be...sex." Lance started. "I know I'm not an expert, or whatever, but as far as I understand, that's like...an extra? And all I want is you, I don't need anything extra."  _ God. _ Lance thought angrily.  _ Will you let it go? You're not exactly being subtle. The sentiment was fine, but couldn't you have thought of another way to put it? Sigh.  _ If Shiro's confession didn't make their relationship awkward, his strange and slight hostility might.

Keith shook his head. "You're human. You have needs and I'll never fault you two for trying to fulfill what I can't," Keith answered. He opened his eyes and looked at Lance, turning his hand to hold Lance's hand tightly. "I don't need an expert, just you two," he said, lightly squeezing Lance's hand. "I'm sorry I've been a pain for you today. And to give you gray hair within the first 24 hours of our relationship." He added as his eyes fluttered shut again before opening slowly.

Lance's gaze softened as he looked at Keith. "Yup, total pain in my ass." He teased, smiling. "But hey, I think I look good in gray. And there's always hair dye." Lance squeezed back.

Shiro snorted a little. "It's not the worst thing ever," he said as he gestured to his already gray hair. "And dyeing Lance's hair wouldn't be too bad if we need to." He squeezed Keith's hand. "But Lance is right. Sex and all that is like icing. It's not needed to enjoy a cake." Oh gods, he was referring to their relationship like it was food. "But you're more than enough, for both of us it seems. Please don't feel badly about anything that's happened. We'll get through this together."

Keith chuckled. "We could dye your hair," he said, his eyes floating over to Shiro. "But you look fine with your gray. Makes you look sophisticated," he said with a small smirk on his face. "Although the sex comparison took some of that away."

He thought about the last part of Shiro's sentence for a moment or two, frowning slightly. How could he not feel badly about what happened? Lance had to literally carry him to the med bay, ruining his day. Shiro has to break up with Curtis now and he was almost practically on his deathbed.  _ Yep, great way to start a relationship, _ he thought.

Exhaustion made his eyes fluttered shut, his head rolling to face Lance. At least his breathing was better now. Who knew death took so much out of you.

"Are you suggesting I wouldn't look sophisticated with gray hair? I see how it is." Lance feigned hurt and crossed his arm, leaving his hand in Keith's. He couldn't bring himself to let go even in his dramatics.

Shiro's stomach fluttered a bit when Keith said his hair made him look sophisticated. He'd heard the same from others, but it hadn't had quite the impact this had. "You would look very distinguished, Lance. But you're a few years early." He smiled at the blue paladin.

"Thank you, Shiro." Lance smiled back.

Shiro felt a pang but let it pass by without acknowledging it. "Anytime."

Keith chuckled. "I'm sure you will look fine with gray hair." He reassured Lance, squeezing the man's hand.  _ God forbid I bring up wrinkles _ he thought. He opened his eyes to look at his two mates, a soft smile on his face. Things were already better. He glanced at the monitor, happy to see that his pulse was no longer triple digits. He felt slightly bad that he probably was gonna be nothing but a lump in bed for the rest of the day but he didn't think he had the strength or energy to do anything…

"Awww, thanks, babe," Lance said, turning his smile to Keith.

Shiro followed Keith's line of sight up to the monitors. The levels were still high but thankfully lower than when he'd first walked in. "Did the nurse say anything about when you would be released?"

A soft knock came from the door, Doctor Sorey popping his head in with a soft smile. "Hello gentlemen. I'm Doctor Sorey." He introduced himself as he walked into the room. "I'm the primary physician on Cadet Kogane's case."

Lance's eyebrows furrowed in thought before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh,  _ you’re  _ Sorey," he said smiling.

Doctor Sorey's eyebrow raised. "That I am," he said, obviously confused.   
  
Keith looked at Lance as well, equally as confused. What the hell was Lance up to now?

Shiro looked confused but stood to shake Dr. Sorey's hand. "I'm Commander Shirogane. Thanks for all your hard work with Keith."

"Nice to actually meet you and not just hear about you, Commander," he said, shaking Shiro's hand before turning towards Lance, apprehension on his face as he tried to figure out what the younger man meant by ‘You're Sorey’.

Seeing his confusion, Lance started to explain. "I'm Lance. I know your husband, Mikleo. He works with my friend Pidge." He held out a hand.

Shiro ducked his head a little and watched Lance introduce himself. That...made a lot more sense now.

Realization lit up Sorey's green eyes. "You're Lance," he said softly, nodding before smirking slightly, gesturing towards Keith with a tip of his head. "So that's him, huh?"   
  
Keith rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly. Did everyone know of Lance's crush on him before him?

Lance blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, yeah, haha. This is him." Lance smiled at Keith, then turned back to the doctor. "Thanks for taking care of him."

Doctor Sorey laughed lightly. "Merely doing my job plus it wouldn't do the universe well if a Paladin of Voltron died," he said before turning his attention towards Keith. "I don't know what these two men did but they apparently managed to make the medicine work. Your heartbeat is within normal range now, and while your temperature is still elevated -- even for you -- its lowering and isn't life-threatening anymore." Sorey chuckled. "Long story short, you're getting cut loose."  
  
Keith nearly let out a sigh of relief. Freedom. Thank God.

Lance whooped and smiled at Keith. He was getting better.

Shiro let out a sigh of relief. Apparently him coming back had worked. He was almost afraid it hadn't. "Are there any restrictions? Follow up visits, medications...?"

Doctor Sorey walked to the side of the bed, taking the oxygen mask off of Keith and taking the IV out. "Bed rest for 24 hours." He ordered. "Follow up in three days, make sure this isn't a chronic thing and a stress test in a week," he said as he drifted back towards the foot of the bed. "Any questions?" he asked, looking at all three of them.   
  
Keith shook his head. He just wanted to get out of the fucking med bay.

Shiro shook his head. The follow up directions were fairly straightforward. "Ready to get out of here?" Shiro raised an eyebrow at the other two men.

"Why do people keep asking me if I'm ready? I was born ready!" Lance announced, smiling. He turned to Sorey as the doctor was about to leave. "Tell Mikleo I said 'Hi' will you?"

Shiro turned to the doctor and offered a salute. "Thank you again," he said sincerely. "We appreciate it."

Sorey chuckled. "I will. Have a good night gentlemen, Commander," he said before leaving.   
  
Keith let out a grateful sigh. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, eager to leave.

"It was nice meeting you finally!" Lance called, before turning to Keith. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I leave the med bay, go find a bed to collapse in and call it a day?" he said, slightly confused.

Lance rolled his eyes, but kept his smile. "I  _ meant _ , how do you want to get to said bed. Piggy back, or princess?"

Shiro also looked puzzled.

Keith blinked at Lance with a bit of mirth dancing in his eyes but also confused still. "Lance, you don't have to carry me." He sighed. "I don't want you to injure yourself."

Lance scoffed. "Please, you weigh about as much as a toothpick. Pick one."

"I could..." Shiro offered.

Lance glanced at Shiro for a second, before looking back at Keith.

Keith ran a hand over his face. "Neither of you need to carry me, I can walk." He bit out. "And I weigh more than a damn toothpick."

"It seems you've picked secret option number three!" Lance cheered, grinning. He leaned forward and snaked arm under Keith's knees and the other around his back, before swiftly lifting him against his chest.

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise. "Lance..." he warned.

Keith's eyes widened, his arms instinctually wrapping around Lance's neck. "L-Lance!" He lightly jabbed the younger man in the chest. " _ Bil-eo meog-eul gaesaekki _ . Put me down Lance before you hurt yourself." (Fucking Asshole)   
  


Lance just laughed. "Hold on tight, princess," he said as he carried Keith over to the door and maneuvered them into the hallway, being careful not to hit anything of Keith's on the door frame.

Shiro sighed and followed behind, making sure they didn't run into anyone. "Tell me when you need a door opened," he offered.

Keith grumbled under his breath but gave up. He sighed, leaning his head on Lance's shoulder.  _ Might as well enjoy the ride, I guess, _ he thought.

Lance's grin softened into a smile when Keith leaned his head on his shoulder. He held him closer. His thoughts wandered as they left the med bay and headed back to the living quarters. He may not be able to bench press Keith like Shiro probably could, but he wasn't weak. He could carry his boyfriend. He could do this much at least. 

Especially after feeling so useless for the past few hours. It was really awful watching Keith get worse and worse while he just sat there. And he knew it wasn't really Shiro's fault. Keith didn't even think that being with Curtis would do anything. But Lance was still angry. Intentionally or not, he had hurt Keith, was slowly killing him, and Lance just had to watch while it happened. Another sad pang shot through his heart. Because apparently he wasn't enough for Keith's Galran side. It was both Shiro and Lance, or death. That...was very Galra. And it sucked.    
  


As they neared Keith's room, Lance glanced down at the Korean man in his arms and thanked whoever was out there for returning Keith to him. He poked Keith softly in his arm and waited for those beautiful purple eyes to turn on him. "Thank you," he whispered.

Keith raised an eyebrow at Lance. "What for? You're the one carrying me," he muttered, a soft blush on his cheeks.

"Coming back to me."

Keith looked up at Lance, still slightly confused.  _ I didn't go anywhere though, _ he thought. "You're welcome?" he replied.

Lance could tell Keith didn't understand, but he shook his head and smiled softly anyway.

Shiro heard the exchange but stayed mercifully silent. He stepped in front of Keith's room and pressed the sensor to open the door, holding it open for them after stepping inside. "Home sweet home," he greeted the empty space as he flipped the lights on.

Lance carried Keith over the threshold and over to the bed, where he lowered him gently onto the mattress, then sat down next to him.

Keith smirked. "Thought that would be for our honeymoon." He joked, looking up at Lance.

"It was good practice." Lance grinned back. "Have to make sure I don't hit your head on the door frame."

Shiro's heart clenched a bit but he shut the door, chuckling as he listened to the two of them.

Keith snorted. "Thanks, Lance. Appreciate the lack of head injury."

"You're very welcome, darlin'." Lance winked.

Keith shook his head, smirking at Lance before noticing Shiro still by the door. "Shiro?" Keith's head tilted slightly in question, confused as to why his eldest mate wasn’t coming closer. His attention though was torn from Shiro by a flash of blue light and a heavy weight landing on him, nearly knocking the air out of him. "Kosmo. Down, boy." He gasped. The dog yipped before jumping to the ground, panting and obviously excited to see his master. Keith turned and looked at the space wolf with a fond smile. "Hey buddy." He greeted before giving his dog a deadpanned look. "You need to work on your aim."

Lance jumped to the side as Kosmo suddenly appeared on top of Keith. "Woah!"

Shiro started moving over to Keith before Kosmo popped in, startling him into raising his hands before he realized it was just the wolf. He breathed a sigh of relief and kept moving closer, putting a hand in the dog's fur. "Hey, pup."

Kosmo barked, looking at each of the three men. He jumped up on the bed, this time missing Keith and curling up beside him, resting his large head on Keith's chest. His large blue eyes peered up at Keith, a soft whimper leaving the wolf. Keith softly smiled and began petting Kosmo on the head, scratching behind his ear periodically. "I'm okay, boy," he whispered, leaning forward to quickly press a kiss to Kosmo's forehead before looking up at Shiro. "Come sit?" he asked.  
  
He wanted both of his mates close by. If he closed his eyes, with Kosmo laying on his chest, he could almost imagine them not being in a universal war fighting for their lives and were three men starting a relationship that would hopefully end with wedding bells, gray hairs, and happiness.

Lance reached over to scratch behind Kosmo's ear, smiling at the wolf.

Shiro nodded, moving to sit in a free space on the bed, on Keith's other side from Lance. He wasn't sure exactly how to act. He'd caused all of this. He knew Lance was highly upset with him, which made sense. But he couldn't run away. Physically could not for fear of causing rejection symptoms again.

Keith snorted, looking at his two mates as he absentmindedly continued to pet Kosmo. "Need a bigger bed." He remarked.

Shiro hummed. His was bigger, but he wasn't sure if he should suggest that.

Lance hummed in acknowledgement and fell backward onto his side on the bed, resting his forehead on Keith's shoulder. He raised his hand to pet Kosmo, content to just lay here.

Keith turned his head, his nose brushing against Lance's forehead. A soft purr began to emit from him. Looking up, he gently nudged Shiro would his foot. "I have two mates," he said, plainly. "This...thing didn't change that Shiro," he said, softly. He gently nudged Kosmo, the wolf moving to lay over Keith's and Lance's feet.

Shiro sighed. Keith was right. He was being ridiculous. Still, he was hesitant as he laid down next to Keith, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I don't doubt that," he murmured as he settled in.

Lance closed his eyes. This was fine. He could do this. Keith was getting better. Keith was happy. That's all that mattered.

Keith looked at Shiro, his purple eyes dark with exhaustion but also focused on Shiro. Gently, he brought a hand up and cupped the side of Shiro's face, his eyes scanning the other's face. "But you doubt other things," he said, frowning slightly.

Shiro searched Keith's eyes before shutting his own. "This can wait until you rest," he pressed softly. "You're exhausted."  _ And it's my fault. _

Keith huffed out a little laugh. "You act like I’ve never been tired," he stated before sighing. "I don't want you to feel guilty. You didn't know.  _ I _ didn't know this was going to happen. I thought if I knew about it, it would be fine." Keith sighed, turning his head back so he looked up at the ceiling. He glanced down when he felt warmth on his shin, and saw Kosmo looking at him. He sent his pup a small smile before he looking back up. "I..." Keith sighed. "I didn't want to be a problem for you two," he confessed softly.

Lance reasonably knew that Keith was right, but it didn't stop him from being a little angry about it. Ignorance doesn't automatically absolve guilt. Lance sighed. "You're not, and will never be," he said softly, pressing a kiss to Keith's shoulder.

Shiro shook his head and burrowed slightly into the gap between Keith's hair and his pillow. "It's not you," he said into the pillow, words muffled. Because it wasn't. It was himself and Lance. Both of them blamed him. "You're never a problem. I'm not sure anything can be done about it. Just time, probably." Healed all wounds or something like that.

Feeling Lance's kiss, Keith turned his head towards the Cuban frowning slightly. "Lance, we wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for me." Keith turned to face the ceiling once more. "You and Shiro wouldn't be...tense." He really didn't know what word to use there but figured that was close enough. "Or wouldn’t have spent your entire day worrying if I was going to die." Part of him couldn't help but think it might have been better if he did. Lance and Shiro would be resolved of the imprinting. Shiro could go back to Curtis. Lance could have someone who treated him like the precious treasure he was.

"That's not..." Lance started, but stopped. He knew the truth, and he knew Keith wouldn't listen to it. "I'm not...tense. Yeah, worrying about whether or not you would be alright sucked, but that could happen in any relationship. I'm just glad you're okay." He kissed Keith's shoulder again.

Shiro leaned back up, eyes intent. "And this," he gestured between himself and Lance, "isn't your fault. It's mine." He wasn't going to sugarcoat how he and Lance were squabbling. He wouldn't insult Keith that way. "And we'll figure it out eventually. Relax, jagiya."

Lance met Shiro's eyes briefly, then he looked away and closed them again. Yeah, they would. They'd have to. It was the only option. Keith came first.

Keith turned to look at Shiro when he heard the pet name, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. He let out a soft sigh. "I just want you two to be happy," he mumbled, his blush deepening. They deserved it. Both of them have gone through so much, they both deserved and should get nothing but bliss.

Shiro hummed softly, ignoring his own problems, focusing on Keith's. The blush gave him some confidence. "That means you need to be happy too," he murmured, dropping down to speak directly into his ear. "So relax. We'll stay with you," he promised.

Lance hummed into Keith's shoulder in agreement.

Keith turned his head, nuzzling into Shiro's shoulder. He looked up, his eyes half-lidded and showing his slight confusion. "Why do I need to be happy?" he asked. Shiro and Lance are supposed to be the happy ones. Their smiles were pretty cute. He failed to see how his happiness had anything to do with that.

"We can only be happy if you're happy," Lance mumbled.

Shiro snorted a laugh and raised a hand to pet Keith's hair. "Lance took the words out of my mouth," he agreed.

Keith leaned into the touch, a soft but tired sounding happy chirp coming from him. His eyes fluttered shut, his cheek pressed against Shiro's shoulder. "'Kashi?" he mumbled.

Shiro hummed. "Yeah, baby?"

His heart fluttered pleasantly. "I'm...I'm gonna use your shoulder as a pillow," he mumbled softly already half asleep. Eyes closed, he fumbled for Lance's hand, weaving their fingers together once he found it, holding it tightly.

Lance squeezed the hand holding his and burrowed his face further into Keith's shoulder. It shouldn't be comfortable, but it was.

"Okay." Shiro maneuvered an arm around Keith, creating a nook for him to rest his head, making sure to cradle Lance's head with his hand. He gently carded his fingers through the Cuban's hair, hoping to lull him to sleep too. They both needed it.

Keith curled in close to Shiro, purring quietly as he started to drift to sleep.

Lance's eyes blinked open at the fingers in his hair. He knew they couldn't be Keith's, so by default they had to be Shiro's. His eyes narrowed. Didn't he know Lance was mad at him? Maybe this was Shiro trying to say sorry? Well, he'd need to say it with words. This wasn't going to cut it...even if it felt nice. Lance vehemently ignored the lone butterfly that had taken up residence in his stomach at Shiro's touch. It didn't belong there. He mentally sent it an eviction notice even as he unconsciously pushed slightly into Shiro's hand.    
  


At Keith's purr, Lance could feel the tension drain from his body. He guessed he had been tense. He hadn't even noticed. Lance let his eyes flutter closed again as the sound of his boyfriend's contentment and the feeling of his boyfriend's boyfriend's fingers threading gently through his hair lulled him to sleep. Lance smiled. He could get used to this. Maybe...maybe even Shiro.

Shiro smiled gently as Lance pushed ever so slightly into his hand. Maybe they could work this out after all. He craned his head down to press a kiss to Keith's temple, the purring calming him, making his eyes start drooping as well. Five minutes wouldn't hurt. Keith had been sent home on bedrest. He'd locked the door. Sleeping would be okay. He nuzzled his nose gently into Keith's hair, mumbling too softly to be heard.


	3. Epilogue : The One Where They Sleep at Night

Shiro woke significantly longer than five minutes later. He groaned quietly, wanting to nuzzle back into the warmth next to him and keep sleeping, but he knew he shouldn't. Messing up his sleep cycle wasn't worth it out in space, where he didn't have the sun to help him re-establish it. He opened bleary eyes and was greeted with the sight of Keith, sleeping surprisingly soundly for once, and tufts of Lance's hair over the other man's head. He smiled, already too fond of Keith, and started pondering how to move without disturbing him too much. He moved his hand away from where he'd fallen asleep with it buried in Lance's hair, hoping not to wake the blue paladin either.

He reached for a pillow and managed to smoothly swap his shoulder for the pillow without disturbing Keith's slumber.  _ Score. _ He sat up, stretching his arms where they were sore, peering at the clock. He had been out for a little over an hour. He sighed a little and stood up, looking at the two men sleeping on the bed.

Keith was already showing marked signs of improvement, more color in his skin and he was sleeping soundly. Lance was snuggled next to him, face slack with sleep, hair a bit of a mess already which made Shiro chuckle quietly. He knew they would have to talk soon, but he could just enjoy the quiet for now. He crossed over to the small table in the room and sat, reading a tablet while waiting for them to wake up.

Lance shifted slightly, pushing his forehead further into Keith's shoulder as he slowly came back to consciousness. He blinked languidly and blearily and yawned. He didn't want to get up. He was still so tired from everything that had gone on earlier. Why was he even waking up now anyway. Surely it hadn't been that long since they all fell asleep? It was then Lance noticed that there weren't any fingers in his hair. Where did Shiro go? He couldn't see the man over Keith so he turned slightly to see the rest of the room. He glanced around, spotting Shiro in a chair across the room and turned back to Keith. Just because Shiro was up didn't mean he had to be. Lance sighed tiredly and slung an arm over Keith's stomach, hugging him closer.

Shiro's ears perked up at the sound of shuffling, but it settled fairly quickly so he gathered the others weren't awake yet. He turned back to his pad.

Keith grumbled softly, turning towards the source of warmth beside him, frowning slightly. He heard Kosmo shuffle at the base of the bed, the impromptu foot warmer shifting slightly until he felt what seemed like Kosmo's head on his knee. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing a mass of gray in front of him. Confusion swam in his mind before he realized that it was Lance's shirt. He groaned softly and pushing his face into Lance's chest. He still felt pretty bad and wanted to do nothing but lay in bed with his mates. His mind faltered slightly when he realized something was missing from the bed. Reaching behind him, he searched for Shiro on the bed.

Lance hummed in response and opened his eyes slightly. Seeing Keith patting the bed behind him, he squeezed Keith closer and mumbled in his gravely post-sleep voice, "He's at the table."

Shiro's head lifted, hearing Lance's murmur to Keith. He smiled, a little bashful as he set the tablet down and made his way back over to sit on the bed. "Right here," he said softly, wanting to stay close so nothing happened to Keith.

Keith yawned, his eyes closing again as he wrapped the searching arm back over Lance. "Why’d you leave?" he asked quietly. "Warm," he mumbled as he tried to fight slumber's hold from fully grasping him.

Lance hummed in agreement.

Shiro chuckled. "I want to keep my sleep schedule as close as I can," he explained quietly, heart squeezing at the cute scene in front of him.

He rested a hand carefully on Keith's back, rubbing gentle circles.

Keith hummed. He vaguely understood the idea although his idea of a sleep schedule was trying to fall asleep when his body yelled for slumber. 

It usually worked out. 

Keith yawned again. "How long?" he grumbled, moving his leg so Kosmo was no longer laying directly on it.

Kosmo weakly growled, not liking that his bed was once again being disturbed but shifted slightly so he was laying between Keith's and Lance's legs, his head resting on Lance's shin. Maybe the Cuban would be a more settled bed.

Lance absently reached down to scratch Kosmo's head. Why was everyone talking? Lance just wanted to sleep.

Shiro looked to where Lance was scratching Kosmo. "About an hour," he answered. "You should still rest more, I'll stay here." His stomach growled and he looked a little sheepish. "Well, minus a trip to the mess hall."

At that Lance perked up. He turned his head slightly to look at Shiro, peaking at him through a small slit in one eye.

Kosmo looked up when the scratches stopped, a soft confused whine coming from him. Keith gently nudged the pup. "Hush," he muttered, nuzzling into Lance's chest.  _ Two seconds without attention won't kill you, damn it, _ Keith thought.

Shiro chuckled again. "You spoiled him," he chided softly before looking at Lance peering at him. "You hungry? I can bring something back," he suggested.

"I'm always hungry," Lance muttered, before stretching as much as he could without disturbing the other occupants of the bed. He groaned as his shoulder popped and then sighed. "No. I should probably get up. I want to be able to sleep tonight."

Keith grumbled. "This is why I spoiled Kosmo," Keith mumbled. "He doesn't ditch me in the middle of naptime." He continued, rolling away from Lance with a yawn. 

Hearing his name and seeing Keith move, Kosmo yipped softly and moved to Keith's now available front. Keith wrapped an arm around the space wolf and buried his face into the thick, warm fur.

Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith. Then smirked and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Keith and burying his face in his back. "Does that mean if I stay, you'll spoil me?"

Keith snorted. "I expect more from my boyfriend than not being ditched. And what the hell would I even spoil you with?" he asked before yawning.

"Kisses," Lance said into Keith's back.

Shiro chuckled. "He'd give you those anyways," he pointed out.

Keith hummed in agreement. Shiro wasn't wrong.

"So I'm already spoiled then. Looks like I'm free to go." Lance pressed a brief kiss to Keith's back and then rolled over stretching again now that he had more space.

Keith rolled his eyes, yawning as he nuzzled into Kosmo's fur. "I swear, I have two puppies now," he mumbled, eyes closing.

"Woof," Lance barked in a loud whisper, grinning.

Shiro cleared his throat. "Uh. You two need a minute?" His neck felt hot, this was awkward.

Keith snorted. "Dork." He stated before opening his eyes, slowly raising an eyebrow at Shiro in confusion. "Why would we need..." He glanced over his shoulder at Lance before returning his gaze towards Shiro. Was he missing something because he was asexual? Because he was a virgin?

Lance glanced at Shiro, confused. "No?" He swung his legs over the side of the bed, careful not to hit Shiro and reached back to tug very lightly on a chunk of Keith's hair. When Keith looked at him, Lance shrugged. "We'll bring you back some food. What are you hungry for? And don't say 'nothing'."

Shiro shook his head. Obviously he was making mountains out of molehills. This wasn't an exclusive couple moment, just more banter. He was being too sensitive about it.

Keith looked at Lance and smirked. "Nada," he said before cuddling back into Kosmo. "Surprise me," he said with a yawn.

"Cute." Lance deadpanned before standing. "And will do." Lance brought a hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes in mock thought. "I wonder if I can get the chefs to put anchovies in apple sauce."

Keith lifted his head just enough to glare at Lance. "Don't make me get out of bed," he muttered. "Shiro...make him behave."

Lance laughed and moved to slip his feet into his shoes.

Shiro looked vaguely disgusted. He ate  _ anything _ and he wouldn't even get near that. He nodded at Keith's words, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'll do my best, but no promises," he said lightly. "But at any rate, stay in bed and rest. I'm gonna get you a little of everything so you can pick what you want," he warned.

"Good luck," Lance sang.

Keith hummed, closing his eyes once more and snuggling into Kosmo's back. "Lance, if you bring me back anything remotely disgusting, no kisses for you." He threatened.

Lance just laughed again.

Shiro moved to the door, putting his shoes on before clapping Lance awkwardly on the shoulder. "Let's keep the boyfriend happy," he warned with a smile. "He can make our lives hell."

Lance glanced at the hand on his shoulder, but decided not to say anything. "Don't doubt  _ that _ ."

Keith laughed. "He speaks the truth." Kosmo huffed as Keith laughed into his fur.

Shiro nodded. "We'll be back," he told Keith as he dropped his hand from Lance's shoulder, opening the door.

"Bye, babe!" Lance called over his shoulder as he walked into the hallway. He stood on the other side of the doorway and waited for Shiro.

Keith chuckled. "Behave," he said as a farewell, cuddling further into Kosmo's fur, hoping to grab a few more minutes of slumber while his boyfriends grabbed some food.

Shiro stepped through the door, letting it shut before he turned toward the direction that would lead them to the mess hall. "Ready?" he asked, wanting to make sure they were on the same page.

Lance nodded, the good mood from earlier slowly dissipating. "Yeah." He started towards the galley.

Shiro walked alongside Lance for a few minutes, glancing sideways every so often to try and gauge the Cuban next to him. His face seemed to be growing stonier by the second. "So," he started awkwardly.

Lance glanced over at Shiro, but said nothing, waiting for the other man to speak. He knew the anger he was feeling was maybe a little unjustified, fueled partly as it was by the jealousy Lance couldn't seem to let go of, but he knew part of him was in the right. While it hadn't been intentional, Shiro had still been the cause of Keith's sickness. Lance could have...lost Keith...forever and there was absolutely nothing he could have done about it. He would have had to just sit by and watch. The thought of Keith's life being in someone else's hands...Lance knew  _ he _ would never do anything to cause a rejection in Keith, but the fact that Shiro could do it, and that it was completely out of his hands... He knew Shiro was reliable. Lance knew deep down he could trust him, that Shiro would never knowingly hurt Keith. But that was just it, he  _ had _ hurt Keith, because Shiro couldn't be happy with just one. Who's to say that would last.

Shiro sighed. Apparently that hadn't been enough to start Lance vocalizing his thoughts. "Do you want to talk in private before we get the food? We need to clear the air sometime or it'll stay awkward for Keith." There, perfectly rational sounding, except for the stone sitting in his gut he was fine.

Lance stopped walking. He hadn't been aware it had been awkward for Keith. He thought he'd been doing a pretty good job of pretending everything was fine, but...maybe he hadn't. Lance crossed his arms and frowned at the ground. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."

Shiro turned back to look at Lance. He looked so...Shiro didn't have a word for it. "Would you prefer one of the meeting rooms or one of our quarters?" he asked, wanting to make sure Lance was in okay territory and felt comfortable. This would be awkward enough without all that.

"My rooms right here," Lance muttered and started towards his door, a little ways down the hallway. He placed his hand on the scanner and walked into the room once the door slid open.

Shiro nodded and stepped into the room behind Lance, glancing around. The console was still on the ground near the TV. "I still need to come by and practice," Shiro noted absentmindedly.

Lance looked at the console. Right, he had offered to let Shiro come by to practice. Lance kept his arms crossed and glanced around the room, avoiding looking at Shiro and waiting for him to say whatever it is he wanted to say.

Shiro sighed as Lance crossed his arms. So much for a friendly conversation. He put his hands in his pockets. "So, you uh, obviously have some things you'd like to say to me about the imprinting. Concerns." He looked at Lance. "I never meant to hurt him or take him away from you, I hope you know that."

Lance finally looked at Shiro, letting his gaze linger for a moment before sighing defeatedly and dropping his arms, turning his gaze to the floor. "I know. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Shiro nodded. "That's true. It did. And now I know better," he said softly. "I was scared before, but now I know I have to face it. And I will, so you don't have to worry about it again."

Lance let Shiro's words sink in before he spoke. "Can you? Can you make that promise?" He looked up at the taller man. Lance was starting to get worked up. "Can you promise that you'll never hurt him like that again? Because I-" Lance looked at his hands which had clenched into fists. "I can't do that again. Do you have any idea. Any idea what it was like? Watching, as Keith got worse. Wondering if they could help him when he was in so much pain. And then," Lance huffed an incredulous laugh and unclenched his fists, still staring at his hands, "and then finding out that he was actually  _ dying _ and that there was  _ literally nothing _ I could do about it except watch. That the only person who could fix it was  _ you _ , the person who hurt him in the first place." A tear escaped and rolled down Lance's cheek. When had he started crying? "Do you have  _ any _ idea how terrifying that was? You almost killed him and I had to just let it happen, and hope that it wouldn't." More tears rolled over Lance's cheeks as his voice rose. "I have been waiting so long for this, Shiro and you almost took it away in a day! So yes! I'm angry, I'm furious, and I  _ know _ that I can trust you. My head tells me that's true, but my heart wants me to punch you in the face and keep you as far away from Keith as possible." Lance rubbed angrily at the tears on his face, glaring at the wall.

Shiro's eyes widened as Lance went on, letting everything out. It was all true, and warranted. Shiro had almost killed Keith. Not that he knew he was, but that didn't change that he had. He would continue to regret that for a while. He took his hands out of his pockets, not sure if he wanted to placate or try to comfort. It probably wouldn't go well right now. "You can, if you think it'll help," he said quietly. Maybe letting Lance punch him would serve some purpose or lesson, help him atone. "Punch me, that is. I don't think the keeping me away thing is going to work the best for Keith."

"What?" Lance asked, turning his tear filled angry gaze to Shiro, then looked away again, sniffling. "I'm not gonna punch you. And I know that." He wiped away another tear.

Shiro stepped closer. "Well, if it will help. I promise I won't do that to you or Keith again. It's not worth it to lose this." It was still very new, and tentative, but with time they'd figure it out and make it work. He raised his hands a little placatingly. "I don't know what your end of watching that was like, but I've seen my loved ones suffer while I was sick so I know how horrible that must have felt for you." He remembered Adam crying for days on end, his mother's stressed smile as she tried to comfort him, his dad trying to force his way into his life before just giving up on him. It was all awful.

Lance nodded. He hoped he could believe him.

Shiro took a deep breath. Hopefully the air was clear enough for this now. "So, how do we make this work," he asked, gesturing between the two of them. "With Keith."

"What do you mean?" Lance grumbled.

Shiro frowned. He wasn't quite sure what he meant either. "Do you not want me around when you're with him? I've noticed you get a little... weirded out when I'm with him," he observed. "I know you're monogamous, so I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not-" Lance started, not entirely sure where he was going with that sentence. He sighed. "I want what Keith wants. And he wants you around, so it's fine if you're there. I just..." Lance was still angry and upset, but he couldn't help the slight blush that overtook his cheeks. "I can get a bit jealous sometimes. But I'm working on it. It's just something I have to get used to."

Shiro nodded. That made sense. Seeing your significant other with someone else was bound to bring up some of those emotions. "I've felt that way sometimes too, since this started," he admitted a little quietly. He didn't want Lance accusing him of being greedy. "It'll work itself out."

Lance was a bit surprised at Shiro's confession. Wasn't he used to things like this? But Lance nodded anyway and wiped the last tear away.

Shiro noticed Lance wiping at his tears. "Uh, do you want me to find you tissues or..." He looked around, trying to locate a box. It didn't appear to be near the bed like in most rooms.

"On the bathroom counter," Lance mumbled, running a hand up and down his arm.

Shiro nodded, disappearing into the bathroom. The box was right where Lance said it was. Shiro snagged the whole thing and brought it back, holding it out to him. "Do you want water or anything?" he asked, in caretaker mode. He wanted to make Lance feel better, hated seeing him cry. He couldn't hug him or give physical comfort, so this would have to do.

Lance took the box, grabbed a few tissues and then tossed the box onto his bed. He blew his nose and crumpled up the tissues in his hand before walking over to his trash can and throwing them in. He shook his head at Shiro's question. "I'll get something in the galley."

Shiro still looked concerned. "Um. This is a forward question," he warned.

Lance froze and waited, not turning around.

Shiro sighed. "Just wanted to ask if you needed a hug. Not gonna set a bomb off or anything." He was almost a little put out at Lance's reaction. He was trying to be transparent and honest and Lance's reaction made sense but it still didn't make him feel great.

Lance relaxed. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but an offer for a hug wasn't it. Did he want one? Yes. From Shiro? Lance didn't know. He was still angry for sure, but it was fizzling out. He'd said his piece and Shiro had given his word, right? Lance was still worried, still apprehensive, but maybe...maybe this could help things. Let Shiro know he was trying. That they were still friends. He took in a breath and nodded. "Okay," he said quietly, turning around. He kept his eyes on the ground however, and waited for Shiro to come to him.

Shiro was still a little upset, but he wiped most of it from his face as he stepped forward, standing in front of Lance with his arms a little open. He hesitated before he reminded himself that this was for Lance's benefit and moved forward, wrapping his arms loosely around Lance. His heart jumped a little but he stamped it down and held his breath as he waited for some kind of reaction from the other man.

Lance stood still for a moment, before moving his arms up to wrap around Shiro's waist. He rested his forehead on Shiro's shoulder and closed his eyes, breathing in Shiro's scent as his eyes threatened to fill with tears again. He gripped the shirt beneath his fingers tightly and sniffled once, words tumbling out before he could even think about them. "Please don't take him away from me," he muttered brokenly, so quiet he wasn't sure it was even audible. He knew Shiro had already promised he wouldn't, but Lance was still scared.

Shiro made a soft noise. It had been quiet and so, so scared, but he'd heard Lance. Felt his hands clinging to his shirt tightly. "I won't," he promised. "Keith loves you. Even if I wanted to take him, which I don't, he wouldn't leave you." He leaned his head forward, resting his face in Lance's hair. "You know, with all this pain, I wish you could take him away from me. Both of you would be happier." Shiro grit his teeth, angry he'd slipped and let his mouth run.

"You're wrong," Lance answered quietly.

The swirl of Shiro's self-deprecating thoughts paused. "What," he said dumbly.

"We wouldn't be happier without you, Shiro," Lance muttered into Shiro's shoulder. "Keith...loves you and I may have some mixed feelings right now, but you're still my friend."

Shiro hugged Lance tighter even as he shook his head. "I almost killed him," he whispered, fear in his voice. "Because I couldn't keep it in my pants. I don't know what's going to cause a rejection, so I have to reconsider every relationship in my life through that lens just to keep him safe. You'd be better if I weren't here. Both of you." He knew it was true, but didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to persevere as is to keep Keith safe.

Lance couldn't deny the first part, he totally agreed but...he couldn't believe he was saying this. "Everyone makes mistakes, Shiro." How did he go from yelling to comforting the person he was mad at in less than five minutes. Guess he couldn't be too surprised that his life continued to not make any sense.

Shiro shut his eyes. "This would be easier if you hated me and tried to punch me in the face," he noted, only half joking.

"Probably." Lance snorted, stepping back. "But when have I ever made anything easy?"

Shiro leaned forward, chasing the contact without realizing it. He opened his eyes and flushed pink. "You make battle tactics easy sometimes," Shiro provided, not actually sure if it was true. Lance was smart, it probably was.

"Eh." Lance shrugged, taking the opportunity to fully detach from Shiro. "I'm alright, but uh...thanks." Lance smiled tentatively.

Shiro missed the contact, but he would be alright. He could deal. He wasn't needy. He nodded to Lance. "Anytime," he said honestly, still looking at the other man. "Uh. Do you have anything you want to talk about with me before we continue on?"

Lance shook his head. "You?"

Shiro shook his head too. "If anything comes up, I'll bring it up later," he said. "On to the mess hall?"

"Um, one second," Lance said as he walked into the bathroom. He turned on the sink and quickly washed his face. When he looked up, Lance could see his eyes were still a little red. He sighed. Hopefully it would go away soon or everyone would know he'd been crying. He turned off the tap and returned to the bedroom. "Okay, I'm good."

Shiro tilted his head a little and looked at Lance. What he'd done had gotten rid of most of the evidence of his tears, except for a slight redness to his eyes. Shiro felt a little bad that their conversation had caused it, but it had needed to happen. "Alright," he said as he moved to the door, stepping out into the hallway and waiting for Lance to follow.

Lance followed behind, waiting for the door to close before heading towards the galley.

Shiro let the other paladin lead the way, content with following for the moment. Besides, Lance knew more of the people around here and would probably dominate the conversation, Shiro would just smile and listen politely while inhaling pasta.

Once they reached the galley, Lance made a beeline for the order counter. 

"Hey man! What's up?" Lance called, waving a hand in greeting.

"Hey Lance. Same old, same old. You?" The blonde across the counter answered, sitting up a little straighter.

"I'm a Paladin of Voltron, Denny. My life is always a surprise."

"Right." Denny smiled. "What can I get you guys? Oh! Evening Commander." The blonde snapped to a salute.

Shiro followed behind, holding in a snort of amusement at the comment about life being a surprise. If that wasn't the truth Shiro would eat his hat. Well, find one first then eat it.

He smiled easily at Denny, nodding at the salute. "At ease, Sergeant. I'm not on the clock right now."

"Yes sir," Denny replied, settling back down and turning to Lance again.

Lance shook his head and rolled his eyes, Denny had always been a stickler for protocol. "I'll have the bacon pizza and a side of fries, please. Shiro?”

Shiro's smile turned amused. "For me, as much spaghetti as you can fit on a plate. Then we'll take a little of everything you have in to-go containers," he requested, hands going into his pockets. He didn't know what Keith would want, and Shiro would probably eat the rest later. "Think we need juice or anything?" he asked Lance.

Lance coughed to suppress a laugh at the amount of food Shiro was getting for Keith. Keith would maybe eat one box, and probably not even all of it. Well, they could just put the leftovers in their fridges for snacks later. "And some water too," Lance added, smiling at the slightly confused and surprised look on Denny's face. "Recovering boyfriend," he added as an explanation.

Denny nodded and gave the cooks the order. "Finally asked him out, huh?"

Lance groaned. "Jeez, is everyone going to ask me that?"

Denny snickered. "Took you long enough."

"Do  _ not _ get me started, Brosch. You have no room to talk."

Denny's smile faltered.

"How's the lieutenant?" Lance asked cheekily.

"Point taken, Lance." Denny shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. "And she's fine," he added in a small voice, accompanied by a slight smile.

Lance smirked back at him. "Uh huh, that's what I thought."

Shiro looked at Lance, a little bemused. Apparently he had been chatty about his crush on Keith. At the comment about his own crush Shiro raised his eyebrows a little. "Second Lieutenant Ross?" he asked, a little surprised. The two were always together, so it wasn't a huge leap in logic.

Denny blushed and Lance cackled, nudging the other man with his elbow while waggling his eyebrows.

Shiro smiled. He felt bad he had embarrassed the other man but well, that came with the territory sometimes. "Well, it sounds like it's going well for you. I wish you the best of luck."

Denny's eyes widened and his blush darkened. "Oh, uh, yes, thank you sir. Here's your food," he added quickly, handing over the trays and boxes, practically shoving them into Lance's arms.

Lance laughed loudly and balanced everything neatly. "Thanks man. Catch you later!" 

Denny waved, still red as he turned to the next person in line.

"After you." Lance nodded at Shiro.

Shiro started leaning, turning around to walk backwards a bit. "Do you need any help carrying that?" he asked, concern in his voice. That couldn't have been easy to carry.

"Sure, if you want," Lance said, offering the pile settled on his left arm.

Shiro took the stack, making sure it was situated evenly before walking forward. "We should have brought bags," he said thoughtfully as a few ensigns stood to the side and watched them with wide eyes.

Lance snickered at the looks they were getting. "You're right, I don't know why we didn't anticipate cleaning out the kitchen. I mean we know how much of a bottomless pit Keith is." He let the teasing sarcasm sit heavily on his tongue.

Shiro shot Lance a look. "I did this in the past so he would eat  _ something _ at least, which is why I did it again," he said, voice deadpan.

Lance rolled his eyes. "It was a joke, Shiro. Besides, I don't mind having leftovers in my fridge." He set his tray and the boxes down on a table and sat down in one of the chairs. Pushing the boxes slightly to the side, Lance started to eat. He hadn't realized he was so hungry. It made sense, though, he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Shiro sat, opening his spaghetti. He began eating but slowly, as he planned to save some for when he was eating with Keith.

Lance finished his pizza, licking his fingers. He watched as Shiro picked at his pasta, was he not hungry? Lance was going to start feeling like a glutton if everyone continued to barely eat anything around him. Maybe he would go visit Hunk soon, Hunk could definitely put away food. Maybe that would make him feel better. 

Lance started in on his fries, pausing occasionally to take sips of his water.

Shiro put his fork down and folded the lid back onto his container, catching Lance's curious glance toward him. "I don't want Keith to be eating alone," he explained. He didn't know if having company eating would help or not, but it'd make him feel better anyways.

Lance nodded. He wasn't sure Keith would care, but it was a nice sentiment he supposed. "Ready then?" he asked as he popped the last few fries into his mouth.

Shiro nodded and stood, rearranging the containers before putting the fork in the dirty bin. "When you are," he agreed.

"Cool," Lance said, standing. He balanced his stack of boxes on one arm and grabbed the tray with his other hand, taking it to the return counter. He thanked the man and turned around, wandering his way through the tables and into the hallway back towards Keith's room.

Shiro nodded his agreement to Lance's thanks and followed behind him, food in hand.

Lance led them through the hallways and back to Keith's room, pausing briefly to adjust his hold on the boxes before placing his hand on the palm reader and opening the door.

Kosmo lifted his head when he hear the door opening, one yellow eye open. When he saw Shiro and Lance, he placed his head back nestled in the crook of Keith's neck and shoulder. 

In the time they were gone, Keith had fallen into a deep sleep, still healing from the rejection. Kosmo had shifted to curl around Keith's back, his face looking towards the door as if to protect his master from any harm while he was ill and weak. Keith had the blanket pulled taut up to his chin, his long, black hair sprawled across the pillow and his face as he slept. His lithe body was coiled slightly into a loose ball, his knees brought up close to his chest. He gave no sign of disturbance as his mates returned from the galley.

Lance smiled fondly at the sight and quietly walked into the room, placing the boxes gently on the table. Keith looked so comfortable and peaceful. Lance wanted to rejoin him. He almost wished he'd never left.

Shiro walked in alongside Lance, setting his boxes down as well. He saw Lance looking at their boyfriend. "I'll set all this up if you want to join him," he murmured quietly.

Lance shook his head. "I don't want to wake him," he muttered back, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table. He laid his head down on his arms and just watched Keith. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen him sleep so soundly. Sure he was recovering, but still. It was a rare moment.

Shiro nodded, starting to set food out as quietly as possible. He almost wished they could go back to sleep, but that wasn't in the cards yet. Maybe later after they ate. Once he was done he took a space on the bed next to Keith, doing his best not to disturb the man or the wolf sleeping there.

Keith's nose twitched, the scent of food slowly reaching him. He shifted slightly, grumbling quietly while his body tried to stay asleep as it registered the bed dipping slightly. Behind him, Kosmo curled tighter around Keith.

Lance frowned.  _ No, don't get up. You need sleep, _ he thought, raising his head.

Shiro frowned and reached forward, rubbing Keith's shoulder gently. He wasn't sure if Keith would wake that easily, but it was worth trying to soothe him back to sleep. The food could wait.

Keith grumbled, shifting away from the touch slightly before settling once more. The scent of food slowly filled the room however making Keith's nose twitch periodically. After a few moments, Keith's brows furrowed before sleep- glazed eyes slowly began to open. They closed a few times as sleep tried to reclaim him. He yawned slightly before his eyes settled on Lance, a soft hum leaving him as he relaxed into the bed as he waited for his body to naturally wake up. "When did you two get back?" he mumbled.

Shiro pulled his hand back as Keith moved away, not wanting to push any boundaries. He figured Keith was talking to Lance, so he didn't respond.

"Not that long ago. We brought you some food, but it'll keep for a bit if you wanna go back to sleep," Lance said softly, glancing once at Shiro.

Keith hummed, his eyes opening a bit more. "My nose woke me up for a reason," he mumbled, his gaze shifting towards the table, a groan coming from him when he saw it. "Lance..."

Shiro tracked Keith's gaze. "Ah, actually, that was me," he confessed. "I didn't know what you would want so I asked for some of everything."

Lance huffed a laugh. "And you were worried about  _ me _ ."

Keith sighed. He knew Shiro meant well and he's always been a little overzealous in the caring department, especially when he was involved. 

He sat up slowly, yawning as he did. He ran a hand through the mess that was his hair and looked at Shiro through still half-lidded eyes. "I know you did it out of kindness, but, next time, no. Just say no," he said, reaching forward to lightly pat Shiro's knee. "But you've made Kosmo a happy dog."

At the mention of his name, Kosmo lifted his head, his ears standing straight up.

Shiro sank a little. "I was going to eat some of it too," he defended weakly. This seemed like it was backfiring.

Keith sighed. "I appreciate the gesture but you could bring me the whole galley and I would just eat the same amount," he explained. "I’d rather not waste more food than I already do." 

Kosmo whimpered, his tail wagging against the bed loudly as he looked at the food. Keith rolled his eyes. For an alien wolf, he had a lot of similar traits to an Earth one. 

With a sigh, Keith threw the blanket off of his legs and turned to sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you get me anything good?" he asked, his eyes shifting towards Shiro.

Shiro shrugged, body turning toward Keith a little as the other man sat up. "They didn't really have any specials, just the usual stuff for the day. There's pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, rice, spaghetti..." he listed, craning his head to list food off. "Some stir fry, that looked new..." he noted absently.

"I think there are some sandwiches too," Lance added, peaking in a box. "And a baked potato, apparently."

Keith chuckled fondly. "I'm surprised they even gave you all this food," he said, slowly standing. He paused for a second, the world tilting slightly as his body rebalanced.  _ Apparently dying took a lot out of a person, _ he thought with a frown.

Shiro stood alongside Keith, hands out to stabilize him if needed. "Yeah, well, when I ask for things they tend to happen," he said, a bit sheepish. "Even if they're kind of ridiculous."

"Aaaannnnnddd this may or may not have happened before...on multiple occasions..." Lance said, pointedly not looking at anyone.

Keith took a moment to gain his balance before walking towards the table, sitting in a chair beside Lance. Kosmo jumped off the bed and followed behind Keith, sitting next to him on the floor. Keith reached towards the numerous boxes, bringing the hamburger closer to him. "Do you ask for all of this often?" Keith asked with an eyebrow raised as he started deconstructing the hamburger.

Lance cleared his throat. "No, but uh, Hunk, Pidge and I have game nights? And uh, we all eat a lot."

Shiro nodded. That made sense. "And we sometimes have food brought in for meetings, so I'm used to this from that."

He sat down in another chair and grabbed his spaghetti, starting to eat again.

Keith hummed, taking the patty from the bun and placing it on the other side of the box. "I'm just shocked that the place had this many choices." He tore the top of the box off, placing the half that held everything save the actual patty aside. Next, he added the chicken breast and pulled the bacon from a nearby BLT sandwich and added it to the hamburger patty. Beside him, Kosmo shifted in excitement, whimpering. "Calm." Keith ordered as he grabbed a small container of white rice. "You'll survive 2 more minutes," he said with an eye roll before looking at Shiro. "Hope you weren't planning on eating any of this..."

"They make a surprising spread," Shiro remarked, watching Keith assemble his...sandwich? "I'm fine with my spaghetti," he commented, "but are you making that for you or for Kosmo?"

"Don't go that often," he said with a small shrug before chuckling. "For the brat. It's not the best meal for him, but it will do," he said as he added the rice and lastly a handful of cold cuts from a few sandwiches. Finally, he grabbed a small container of mashed sweet potatoes. Kosmo panted, his yellow eyes never wavering from the dish that Keith was making.

Lance chuckled quietly at the wolf.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Just as long as you eat too," he commented as he watched Keith add the sweet potatoes.

Keith hummed, setting aside the empty container. He watched Kosmo as he slowly leaned down to place the makeshift bowl down in front of Kosmo, the wolf's eyes following it the whole way down. Keith sat back up. "Go," he said. Kosmo did not waste any time in devouring the food.

Keith reached and grabbed a box filled with penne pasta that was lightly dressed with butter and parmesan cheese.

Shiro watched Kosmo eat, slightly disturbed but intrigued.

"So how was the rest of your nap?" Lance asked, leaning back in his chair.

Keith stabbed a few of the noodles with a fork, shrugging slightly. "Feel weird that I slept so much," he said honestly. He knew he was sick or recovering but to be forced on bed rest (and being forced to actually listen to the order) was unusual. He usually just drank stronger tea or upgraded to actual coffee to get through the day. 

The troubling thing was that he still felt like he could curl up and sleep for a few more hours. He hoped this recovery thing only lasted a day, he couldn't afford to stay holed up and neither could Shiro and Lance.

Lance nodded in understanding. He felt like that sometimes too.

Shiro watched as Keith put a few noodles on his fork. "Well, you've got a few days to get used to that. Allura gave us 72 hours of leave, so we don't have to adhere to a schedule during that time." His eyes softened. "You've been pushing yourself too hard. Rest."

Lance's eyebrows raised. He had three days off? Cool. Maybe being in a weird dating the same guy relationship with Shiro had its perks after all.

"72..." Keith looked at Shiro with wide eyes, fork dangling in his fingers. "And they allowed it? I don't need three days to recover, I would've been fine to go back tomorrow." 

Kosmo peered up from his food, cheeks bulging with it as he looked at the three at Keith's incredulous tone. Seeing nothing wrong, he returned to his food.

"Yeah, no. You almost died. Three days is good," Lance said, poking Keith on the arm.

Shiro frowned. "Lance is right. I wanted to give you more time, but I didn't think it would get approved. Solidifying your imprint bond over the next few days seemed important enough to warrant the time off." He hadn't asked for an excessive number out of an arbitrary decision, new spouses were typically given three days as well. Not that the others would probably know that.

Keith wanted to scream. What was he supposed to do for three days? He hadn't had a day off since they found Shiro after Kerberos. They'd had evenings off. Mornings. But not full days. 72 hours of not doing work regarding the Garrison, or with Voltron, or the Blades...Keith's brows furrowed. "Is this leave also with the Blades or just with the Garrison?" he inquired, pushing a few noodles around with his fork.

Lance narrowed his eyes. He knew Keith didn't like to sit still, but it was only three days.

Shiro locked eyes with Keith. "Blades and Garrison. We're all grounded except if Voltron is needed." He sighed. "You know, learning to relax will help in the long run. You need proper rest to fight at your best levels." And besides, Shiro and Lance definitely needed to cuddle him more. "Now eat." He pointed to the fork in Keith's hand.

Keith exhaled slowly. He was literally being pulled from everything except rest. He glanced at Lance before his gaze shifted back to Shiro. There was no way he would win in an argument. He stirred his noodles, unknowingly pouting slightly, before glancing back up at Shiro when he ordered him to eat. Keith stabbed a few noodles, popping them into his mouth, chewing as he thought. "Can I at least train?" he muttered after he swallowed.

Shiro thought for a minute. "Sorey said bed rest for 24 hours, but after that I don't see why not. Provided you have one of us with you and don't push it," he warned before taking a bite of spaghetti.

Lance snorted.

Keith frowned and lightly kicked Lance's ankle with the tips of his toes as he stabbed a few more noodles. He could live with the 24 hour bed rest, he was too tired and weak to even try to do any form of training today. He popped his second bite into his mouth as he mulled over Shiro's conditions. Lance usually worked out with him anyways so it wouldn't be that big of a deal unless the Cuban wanted to maximize his days off and lounge in bed. But even training would only occupy a few hours of his day and that was if he was pushing it which Shiro said he couldn't do. Lance would probably also cut him short out of worry. Keith sighed, he only had so many books. 

Keith glanced at each of his boyfriends again. He cared for them, both of them, but fuck were they overprotective. He knew his limits. He knew when to stop.

Lance just grinned. He knew he was right.

Shiro raised an eyebrow between the two of them. "Lance, I know you like your time off. If you want to take a day to yourself, I can train with Keith. I know you two usually do." Just because he'd requested the time off didn't mean they had to spend it together the whole time. Personal, alone time was important for recharging too.

"I don't mind." Lance's grin softened to a smile before sliding into a smirk. "Whatever you guys want to do is fine. I'm pretty flexible." He winked for added effect, leaning his chin in his hand.

Keith glared at Lance when he saw the grin on his youngest mate's face. In a moment of spontaneity, he grabbed a noodle and threw it at him, smirking when it hit Lance in the forehead, shaking his head slightly. Kosmo licked the noodle up from the floor before looking up at master, tail wagging. Glancing at the now empty container, Keith rolled his eyes. "No more. Bed," he said. Kosmo heeded the order, jumping up on the bed and curling into a ball while Keith picked up the empty container.

"Hey!" Lance squawked indignantly.

Keith quirked an eyebrow at Lance before popping another bite into his mouth, smirking.

Lance narrowed his eyes. His gaze promised payback in the future.

Shiro's ears flushed red at the 'flexible' comment. "Yes, well, if we can stop playing with our food now," he deadpanned.

"I'm eating," Keith said, popping another bite into his mouth, still smirking before glancing around the table. "Did you guys get anything to drink?"

Shiro nodded, grabbing a water bottle and handing it over to Keith. "Hope that works," he commented between bites of his own food. He had been starving.

Keith nodded, accepting the water bottle and taking a swig before grabbing Kosmo's makeshift bowl and pouring half of the bottle in it. He set back on the ground and called for his wolf. Kosmo walked over and started lapping it up. He gave Kosmo a soft pet, ruffling the fur on the top of his head before returning to his food, taking another bite, slowly chewing it. He was starting to get full.

Lance pretended not to notice the slight blush on Shiro, and clamped down on whatever had fluttered slightly in his stomach at the thought that he had been the one to put it there. He turned his head slightly to look at the wall, while the others continued eating. He wouldn't think about it. Think about what? Exactly. There was nothing to think about...right.

Shiro watched as Kosmo made quick work of the water in the top of the container. "We should probably get him a bowl for in here," he noted between bites, finishing the spaghetti and moving to the baked potato. "Next time we're in port we can look for one, or Hunk might have something in the kitchen.”

Keith nodded as he chewed another bite of noodles, a third of his dish gone. "And actual food for him, he can't keep eating this stuff," he said as he looked at Kosmo, the wolf finishing off his water before walking over to Keith. He rested his head on Keith's lap, closing his eyes as Keith started to scratch behind his ear, the wolf's tail wagging happily.

Lance hummed. "Hunk might have something we could take from the kitchen. I'll ask him next time I see him."

Shiro hummed. "What does he eat, anyways? I know human food is bad for dogs, but I thought meat might be a decent equivalent."

"Raw meat primarily," Keith answered, smiling as Kosmo leaned into his touch. "At least, that's what they gave us for him after my mom and I got off the Whale. They also gave us some stuff to add to the meat that was like rice and vegetables." He finished as he looked up at Lance. "I can ask if I see him, it's not a big deal," he said not wanting Lance to trouble himself.

"Don't worry about it. I'll probably see him before you anyway," Lance said, turning to smile at Keith.

Keith smiled as he looked down at Kosmo, the wolf's head still resting in his lap. "Thanks, Lance."

Shiro nodded, smiling at the two of them. He didn't want to disrupt their moment. He had gotten the information he needed. He continued to devour the potato, looking over what was left. A few buns and pieces of bread, some other pasta dishes, pizza... he reached for a slice of sausage and folded it in half, starting to eat it.

Keith ate a few more bites of pasta, getting close to eating half of it before pushing it aside. Keith turned slightly, lightly patting his lap. Kosmo gently placed his paws on his knees. Kosmo yipped, licking Keith's cheek as Keith scratched his sides. "Did you have a good time with mom?" he asked, smiling softly.

Shiro kept eating the pizza, glancing at what Keith had eaten. Half was actually pretty good for him, all things considered. "Did Krolia say anything about how the mission went?" he asked the two of them. She was too busy lecturing him when he had seen her to ask.

Keith shrugged. "Haven't had a chance to see her outside of the med bay," he answered. "But she seemed fine and so does Kosmo so I'm assuming everything went well."

Shiro nodded. "That's probably a safe bet," he agreed.

A knock sounded on the door. Lance turned to look at it before glancing at Keith with a confused look on his face. 

Muffled arguing could be heard from the hallway before something cracked and the door slid open, revealing Hunk and Pidge. 

"If you had waited a minute more one of them would have come to the door, Pidge," Hunk said. "You didn't have to break the palm reader."

"I didn't break it  _ irreparably _ ," Pidge said as they crossed their arms. "Just deactivated it for a while. Hi guys!" They walked inside, fiddling with the inside palm reader before the door shut.

Keith slowly raised an eyebrow at Pidge and Hunk, his eyes looking at the door before looking back at Pidge, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You broke my door."

Lance quietly got up from the table and walked over to Hunk. "Hey buddy.”

"Hey Lance."

"I'm fixing it," they defended. They walked over to Keith a little tentatively. "How are you feeling?"

"Yeah, we heard you were in the med bay. Are you alright?" Hunk added.

"With my hands," he said with a smirk. "I'm fine. It was nothing serious," he stated, gently pushing Kosmo down so the wolf was back on four paws. He laid down at Keith's feet, resting his head on one.

Pidge crossed their arms. "That's not what Mikleo said," they retorted.

Shiro finished his slice of pizza.

Lance resisted the urge to scoff.  _ Nothing serious, my ass _ . But it wasn't his place. He wasn't sure what all Keith wanted to tell people about their situation and it wouldn't make sense to say he almost died, but he's only on 24 hours bed rest. He'd let Keith take this one.

Keith sighed. "It had something do with my Galran side," he explained, unsure if Lance and Shiro wanted to reveal their relationship so early to the rest of the team, although it would be revealed soon most likely, especially with everyone apparently knowing about Lance's crush on him. He looked towards Pidge. "Do you know anything about Galran imprinting?" He figured if anyone knew anything it would be them.

Pidge raised an eyebrow at him. "I've seen a few references to it in some literature I've come across. Not anything super specific. It looked like something that happened after a couple got together?" They looked interested. "Did you two get together?" They looked between Keith and Lance before frowning. But then why was Shiro here? Was it because Keith had been sick?

Lance couldn't keep the smile from his face, but said nothing.

"Yeah? Good for you, dude!" Hunk said, clapping Lance on the back.

"Thanks, man."

Shiro glanced between all of them, staying silent. He wasn't sure what to say, so he decided nothing was best. They could be happy for Lance.

"I'm so happy for you both," Hunk added, smiling at Keith.

#####  Keith sent Hunk a small smile before sighing. "For the most part except, I imprinted on two people, not just Lance." Keith ran a hand through his hair. "I'm also with Shiro," he said.

Hunk's eyes widened and looked between Shiro, Keith and Lance. Lance nodded slightly and Hunk cleared his throat. "For all three of you then." Hunk smiled.

Pidge looked surprised. "Shiro too? Aren't triple bonds rare?"

Shiro nodded to Hunk, a small smile on his face at his wellwish. This was the first time he felt like he wasn't an outsider or a stranger in this. It was... nice, actually, that the paladins backed him up.

Keith nodded. "They are, but not unheard of. It’s more rare that I'm imprinted to two non-Galrans honestly," he said.

Pidge looked between all of them. "So how...? You're not bonded with us too, are you?"

Keith shook his head. "No. No," he said.  _ God no, _ he added. Not that he didn't love Hunk and Pidge, it was just family love. And the idea of being bonded to four people, he was still trying to wrap his mind around being bonded to two.

Shiro snorted a little. "We're having enough of a time navigating three. No offense."

"No kidding," Lance said softly, shaking his head at Shiro's comment. Hunk looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything.

Pidge put their hands up. "None taken! I don't want to accidentally kill Keith with rejection symptoms."

Shiro looked to the side, nervous.

Keith smiled slightly uneasily. "Don't worry. I'm only bonded to Shiro and Lance. You two don't have to worry about it," he reassured.

Pidge raised their eyebrow. "So your med bay visit doesn't have anything at all to do with your new imprint?" they asked innocently.

Keith narrowed his eyes slightly at Pidge. "Doesn't matter, I'm alive. I'm fine. No harm done."

Hunk glanced at Lance again, but Lance kept his face neutral, eyes on Keith.

Pidge smiled dangerously. "Is that so? Because I know you wouldn't be on your deathbed without telling us."

Shiro sighed. "It was because of me. I was stupid. I came back and he's recovering." Not like he couldn't privately kick himself, it had to get out. He looked down, still ashamed of himself.

Pidge turned from Shiro back to Keith, eyebrow raised again, waiting for a response before they freaked out.

Keith sighed, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Shiro and I messed up. But I'm fine. It got handled. That's all that matters. This is new and there will be bumps for all three of us to go over. This was just one of those bumps."

Lance's eyebrows furrowed briefly in disagreement. As far as he was concerned, Keith had done nothing. Lance took a breath and looked away, turning his gaze to the wall behind Shiro. 

Hunk noticed Lance's change in demeanor in his periphery. He wasn’t sure what it meant. They would need to talk later, but he could wait until Lance came to him. He wanted Lance to be ready. Instead he turned to Keith.

"Well, I'm glad you seem to be doing alright. We were really worried. When I went to get Pidge for dinner I overheard them talking to Mikleo. He said Doctor Sorey had told him you had been in really bad shape and you'd been put on bed rest so we rushed right over."

Keith glanced at Lance, frowning before looking back at Hunk, shrugging. "I felt sorry for Lance more than anything," he said with a quiet chuckle. "First day together and I end up in the med bay. Not a great first date."

Lance waved a hand absently in the air, pulling himself back into his normal demeanor. "It certainly wasn't the wonderfully romantic one I had planned, but I did get to carry you. Twice." Lance winked. "Plus, it isn't like we don't have all the time in the world to make up for it."

Shiro glanced up, seeing Lance's gaze trained on the wall behind him. He straightened up. "I'm not going to say it wasn't awful, for Lance especially," he started, "but we learned from it and we'll move forward. Like Lance said, there's all the time in the world to make it up."

Pidge narrowed their eyes, but didn't push. Quite honestly, they didn't want to know what happened to cause the rejection. "You still didn't tell us," they pouted, upset.

Keith rolled his eyes. "It's not like I planned on practically having a heart attack, Pidgey," he said, leaning back in his chair. "And I just woke up a little while ago. We would've told you two soon, this impacts you guys as well."

Pidge stood up straighter. "You  _ what _ ," they snapped.

"Pidge-" Hunk started, reaching to lay a hand on their arm.

"No!" they said as they pulled their arm away from Hunk. "He was dying in the hospital and nobody said...none of you said-"

Shiro swallowed his guilt again.

"There really wasn't any time, Pidgeon," Lance supplied. "It all happened pretty quickly."

"It's alright.  _ We understand _ ," Hunk said, looking pointedly at Pidge, prompting them softly with his eyes to agree.

Keith frowned, slowly standing. He had a feeling that getting vertigo right now would not help the situation. He shuffled his way towards Pidge, gently placing a hand on their shoulder. "Its okay, Pidge. I'm okay," he reassured.

Pidge looked down, tears in their eyes, hiding their face in their collar as best they could. "You had a full exam?" they asked quietly. "You're sure?"

Shiro nodded, standing and coming over to Pidge. "He's going to be okay with rest," Shiro promised, putting a hand on the green paladin's other shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Pidge sniffled. "No more dying," they warned, not nearly as harsh as they should have been.

"Yeah. No more dying. I want that promise too." Lance chimed in.

#####  Keith chuckled, bringing Pidge closer to hug them. "No more dying," he promised, looking at Lance with a small smile as he rested his cheek on top of Pidge's head.

Lance raised his eyebrows as if saying  _ I mean it _ . Before huffing a quiet laugh and shaking his head. He knew it was a fool's promise. In their line of work, death was...likely, if they weren't careful and none of them were very good at being careful.

"No more dying," Shiro agreed, separating his hand from Pidge's shoulder and hovering awkwardly near them. He'd taken the brother role when it wasn't his. He stepped back to standing next to Hunk, giving the shorter paladins their space.

"That goes for you too. You know, since you have the worst track record of all of us." Lance stated, looking sideways at Shiro, a small smile on his lips.

Shiro smirked a little and rolled his eyes. "I've had a good track record this year," he remarked.

Pidge grumbled and nestled more into Keith's hold. "Y'all need to  _ stop _ ," she complained.

Keith narrowed his eyes at Lance. "Yes, I agree," he said, tightening his hold on Pidge. "You good?" he asked, rubbing Pidge's back slightly.

Pidge sighed deeply. "I think so," they said softly, snuggling deeper before pulling back.

Lance's eyes widened in surprise and he looked away, pursing his lips and pretending to whistle. He hadn't been aware that Keith knew about his  _ very _ close call at the Omega Shield. He turned back, serious this time, and mouthed  _ Promise _ .

Keith softened his glare at Lance at his reassurance before turning his attention back towards Pidge. Keith gave her one final squeeze before releasing her. "Anyone else need a hug before I collapse back into a chair," he asked, smirking slightly. The paladins liked to hug. A lot. And he didn't want to get up again.

"Nah, I can wait." Lance grinned. 

Hunk smiled and shook his head. "You should rest. I'll get one later."

Shiro shook his head too. "I was going to go ahead and pack up the food, unless anybody else wanted some...?"

"I'm good," Lance replied. "Hunk, want anything?"

"I'm okay, Pidge and I can grab something from the kitchen," Hunk said.

Pidge looked over the spread. "I'm good," they commented, sitting backwards on a chair.

Shiro left Keith's noodles out but started bagging the rest of the trash and putting some of the remainder in the fridge.

Keith sat back down in his chair, yawning slightly. He smiled as Kosmo wrapped around his legs, head resting on his feet once more.

"Pidge, we should actually probably get going. Dinner is going to be over soon," Hunk said, looking at how tired Keith was and then over at Lance. He figured they could use some more time just the three of them. A lot had happened today.

"I'm really glad you're doing better, Keith," Hunk said warmly. "And I'm truly happy for all three of you."

#####  Keith smiled at Hunk. "Thanks, Hunk."

Shiro smiled genuinely at Hunk. "Thanks, Hunk."

"Yeah, glad you all finally got it together." Pidge pouted a little but stood again, pushing the chair in. "Oh!" they said, turning to face Shiro. "Uh, Iverson was looking for you. Something about an extended absence," they told him before turning to Keith. "And uh, I think he wants to talk to you about your medical visit, too."

Keith groaned, resting his forehead on the table. "Fuck."

Shiro frowned. He'd known he would take some heat for putting in that much time off, but he'd hoped to at least have a day before Iverson had caught wind of it. "Already?"

Lance frowned. Didn't Shiro say he had gotten the days approved? What did Iverson want him for, and what could he possibly have to say about Keith's being in the med bay? "I'm going with you," Lance stated firmly, looking at Keith. He wasn't going to let Keith get bitched at alone. Especially not with Iverson.  _ Fuck that guy _ .

Keith hummed. He would appreciate the backup. He would probably need it. He turned so Lance could see his face and gave him a tired thankful smile.

Lance smiled warmly back.

Shiro finished cleaning up the food and tied off the trash bag, setting it near Keith's bin to put in the compactor later. "Well, do we want to go now or put it off?" He'd probably rather go now to get it over with, but Keith looked exhausted.

He put a lid on Keith's noodles and slid them into the fridge as well.

Keith sighed. "We should probably just get it over with." He slowly stood up, Kosmo following, whimpering as Keith stumbled slightly, his hand grasping the table as the world tilted slightly.

Lance jumped forward when he saw Keith stumble, immediately grasping his hand and arm to keep him steady. "Woah, are you sure? This can wait until you're better."

Shiro looked concerned, starting toward Keith as well. "Lance is right, this can wait until you're up to it." He chewed the inside of his lip. They were pushing him too hard, he was sure.

Pidge looked to Keith with wide eyes. "Fuck Iverson, he can wait," they intoned loudly.

"Your health comes first," Hunk added, nodding.

Keith shook his head. "I'm fine. Just stood up a bit too fast. And if we don't see him, he'll just find us," he said, grasping onto Lance's arm. "I'll live through the 5 minute walk and the talk."

At his feet, Kosmo whimpered softly, looking up Lance, gently pawing at the Cuban's leg.

Lance narrowed his eyes, not convinced. He looked down at Kosmo, and patted the wolfs head. "I got this, buddy." 

"Kosmo's right. You should stay off your feet," Lance said, sweeping Keith up into his arms. "If you insist on going now, then I'm carrying you."

Pidge gaped a little. "What-"

Shiro nodded and moved for the door, ready to open it once they got close. "Can't stop you, but can facilitate you so you don't pass out," he agreed.

Hunk smiled at them. He could see they had adjusted to their new relationship pretty well. Good. They were great together.

Keith instinctually wrapped his arms around Lance's neck. "Damn it Lance, you're going to hurt your back! And I don't need to be carried everywhere because I get a bit of vertigo."

"Do I look like an old man to you?" Lance asked incredulously. "My back will be fine. And yes you do."

Shiro snorted. "I could carry you if you prefer," he deadpanned.

Keith sent a small glare towards Shiro. "Not you too."

Keith turned back towards Lance and smirked; gently touched the side of Lance's hair with a look of faux concern. "Well you have this little bit..."

Lance gasped. "I  _ do not _ !"

Pidge cackled outrageously.

#####  Keith laughed, lightly patting Lance's cheek. "Not for a few more years."

"You're lucky you're cute." Lance glared, though a slight smile graced his lips.

Hunk chuckled.

Shiro rolled his eyes but looked fondly at the both of them. Ridiculous men.

Keith smirked, laying his head on Lance's shoulder. "Aww, you think I'm cute?" He joked, still chuckling a bit.

"Adorable," Lance said, turning slightly to place a brief kiss to Keith's hair.

Keith blushed, but kept his head on Lance's shoulder. He was tired and wanted cuddles. "We better get this over with," he said with a sigh.

Pidge made a gagging noise. "PDA, ewww."

Keith sent Pidge a glare.

Lance held Keith just a little closer. "Shut it, or I'll do worse."

Hunk laughed. "You sure you guys  _ just _ started dating?"

Shiro nodded and opened the door. "But they've been in denial for months," he supplied.

Keith's blush deepened, turning his face and hiding it in Lance's shoulder. He gently hit Lance's chest, grumbling under his breath.

"Hey! I  _ have no- _ " Lance started.

"That's a lie." Hunk interrupted. "Sorry, buddy, Shiro's right."

A series of noises left Lance's mouth as he tried to come up with an argument, but eventually sighed. "Yeah...okay."

Keith sighed. "Let's go. I’d rather be yelled at by Iverson than continue this conversation."

Pidge pouted and walked into the hallway, leading the paladins out. "Well, enjoy being yelled at," they groused.

Keith snorted. "Always do."

Hunk smiled as he broke off towards the galley with Pidge. "I really am glad you're feeling better, Keith. And I wish you three the best of luck."

"Thanks buddy." Lance smiled back.

Pidge nodded their agreement and waved as they followed Hunk.

Keith hummed, closing his eyes as he leaned his cheek against Lance's shoulder. Kosmo circled around Lance's legs, whimpering slightly. "I'm fine, boy." Keith mumbled.

"I can't walk if you do that, bud," Lance said, smiling down at Kosmo. "He'll be alright. I've got him."

Shiro leaned down to pet Kosmo. "Lance is right. He's in good hands," Shiro supplied as he scratched Kosmo's ears. "Why don't we follow along behind?"

Keith snapped his fingers. "Kosmo, walk." Kosmo instantly went to Lance's left side, looking up at Lance, waiting for him to start walking.

Shiro blinked, standing up. "Okay then." Guess he had a lot of time to train him on the whale.

"Uh, okay then," Lance said and started down the hallway. "So, I know Pidge said Iverson was looking for you guys, but where are we supposed to find him?"

"Sorry," Keith mumbled. "Hated disobedient dogs," he explained.

He shrugged at Lance's question. "His office?"

Shiro followed behind. "Officer's lounge," he supplied. "He circles back every half hour or so for coffee. We have a good chance of finding him there, and that way he can't say we didn't try to find him."

"Okay. I...don't know where that is. Shiro?"

"Got it." Shiro took the lead, making sure to walk slowly enough that Lance could keep up but quick enough to not disrupt regular foot traffic.

Before long they were at the lounge, doors swooshing open. Shiro stepped inside and quickly located Iverson, striding past a man playing himself at chess before stepping up to his CO and saluting. "Commander Iverson, I understand you were looking for us?"

Lance followed Shiro inside, slowly. He wasn't entirely sure he and Keith were supposed to be in here, even with Shiro with them. He glanced around, taking in the lounge. There was another CO in the room besides Iverson. Lance thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place the name. 

Lance stepped up behind Shiro, purposefully not looking at Iverson.

A blonde woman came up behind the other CO, putting a cup in front of him before sitting across the board from him and beginning to play.

Lance watched Lt. Hawkeye sit down across from the other CO.  _ That makes him Commander Mustang _ . He thought, smiling as the Lieutenant looked over at him. She blinked at seeing Lance, but nodded in greeting while moving one of her pawns. Her gaze dropped momentarily to Keith in Lance's arms and raised her eyebrows minutely, before looking back to Lance.

Lance blushed slightly and nodded.

A small smile appeared on her face as she went back to focusing on the match, shaking her head when Commander Mustang asked her a question.

Iverson looked at the three of them, a frown appearing on his face as his eyes drifted towards Lance and Keith. "Stand down, Commander. Let's talk in my office," he said, walking out of the lounge and heading down the hallway. 

` Keith sighed. "Already off to a great start," he mumbled.

Shiro fell out of his salute and sighed as he watched Iverson's back.  _ Great, _ he thought as he followed, making sure the other two were following behind. Mustang raised an eyebrow at him and Shiro nodded in greeting before stepping into the hallway.

Lance followed behind, muttering softly back to Keith. "It'll be fine. We can just leave if he starts being an asshole."

Keith hummed, frowning as they followed Shiro and Iverson back to Iverson's office. 

The room was sparsely decorated, little trinkets about his promotions and military triumphs were scattered on bookshelves, walls, and his desk. His desk had two chairs facing it, used for meetings just like this. Iverson sat behind his desk and looked at the three. "Sit."

Shiro followed behind, looking at the two chairs when prompted. "Permission to remain standing?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. They couldn't all sit, so one of them hand to stand. May as well be him.

Iverson looked at Shiro. "Granted," he said before his eyes slid towards Lance and Keith, a lone eyebrow rising. 

Keith could feel a slight blush appear on his cheeks as the aspect that he was being held in his boyfriend's arms while meeting with his commanding officer but he didn't have much of a choice. Lance wouldn't let him walk and it wasn't like he could've if he was being honest.

Lance glanced over at Shiro before walking to one of the chairs and lowering Keith into it. Once Keith was situated, Lance sat in the other chair.

Shiro glanced back at Lance, waiting for both of them to sit before speaking. "Sir, if I may inquire as to why you were searching for us?" He addressed Iverson carefully, keeping a small note of confusion in his voice along with the respect that would keep him from blowing up (hopefully).

Iverson laced his fingers together, a stern frown pulling his lips downward. "I am confused as to why three soldiers, one a Commander, needed to take three days of leave so suddenly," Iverson said tensely.

Shiro frowned a little. "Sir, Cadet Kogane was just released from medical with orders for bed rest. Dr. Sorey can write a note if need be." He nodded to Keith. "Hence why Cadet McClain was assisting him here."

Iverson's eye drifted towards Keith. "Cadet Kogane looks perfectly fine. Is this one of your exaggerations again, Cadet?" he asked. "And this time you decided to bring Cadet McClain and Commander Shirogane into your little games." His attention went back to Shiro, not even giving Keith a chance to answer or defend himself. "Doctor Sorey has always been known as a bleeding heart. I will indeed follow up with him. See how far this little game has been played."

Lance narrowed his eyes slightly, but kept his mouth shut. In his lap, his hands clenched into fists.

Shiro clenched his jaw, eyes locked with Iverson's. "Sir, with all due respect, it's difficult to fake or exaggerate cardiac arrest."

Iverson raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see how this relates to you and Cadet McClain requiring leave as well, Commander."

Lance looked at Keith.  _ Shit. Do we tell him?  _ Lance doubted that just dating would warrant him getting leave with Keith...they'd have to tell the whole story.

Shiro straightened a little.  _ Time to show the cards, I guess, _ he thought a little bitterly. He glanced toward Keith and Lance, shooting an apologetic look toward them. Just dating wouldn't warrant the time off, especially that much, and if something like this happened again then Command knowing would come in handy.

"Because the cardiac arrest is related to the Galran Imprinting bond that Cadet McClain and I have with Cadet Kogane, sir." Shiro held his breath, waiting for the explosion. There was no way that Iverson would take this sitting down.

Lance's eyes widened. Shiro had just done what Lance was thinking they'd have to do, but wow he just came out there and said it didn't he.

"Imprinting. Bond." Iverson repeated, both brows rising. He breathed out a chuckle. "Well," he leaned back in his chair. "This is a new one, Cadet Kogane. That desperate to keep people in your life?"

Keith looked away from Iverson, his hands curling into tight fists.  _ Fuck you, _ he couldn't help but mentally hiss, hating that such a low blow was affecting him this much.

Iverson sat straight. "I'll humor you, Commander. What is a Galran Imprint bond?"

Lance grit his teeth together and glared.  _ The fuck did you just say to my boyfriend? _

Shiro winced internally for Keith. He wished he could tell the other man off, but he was Shiro's commanding officer. Paladin or not, that wouldn't fly.

He furrowed his brow, wondering how to explain it. "It's...a biological compatibility for Galrans to pair with...well, spouses would be the closest term we have for it, I guess." Shiro paused, thinking. "It's been likened to the human notion of soulmates, except if a spouse leaves, the other exhibits physical symptoms that eventually result in death. Cadet Kogane was brought under Dr. Sorey's care following these symptoms presenting, and we were told that solidifying this bond would repair the damage. Hence the request for leave and the extended duration."

Iverson looked at Shiro, a bored expression on his face. "The Galra are a race of bloodthirsty beasts that live off of war. Pride themselves on their war skills. And they have something so...romantic?" Iverson shook his head.

Keith growled, his eyes sending a heated glare at Iverson. "Not all Galr-"

"Did I give you permission to speak, Cadet?" Iverson snapped.

Keith gritted his teeth but quieted. Beside him, Kosmo whimpered softly, butting his nose against Keith's knee. With a quivering hand, Keith reached out and lightly patted Kosmo's head.  _ Show you fucking bloodthirsty, _ he thought,  _ fucking asshole. _

Lance's hand twitched. What he wouldn't give to have his bayard right now, just to shut that bastard up.

Shiro looked taken aback by Iverson's interruption over Keith. "Sir, the Empire prides themselves on war tactics. As Cadet Kogane was trying to say, not all Galrans are warmongers."  _ Is this seriously what he thinks all Galrans are? Bloodthirsty warriors?  _ "The Galra I know are all passionate, affectionate people, no different from humans in their goals…

Lance thought of Zarkon.  _ Weellll... _ but he supposed Shiro was talking about the Blades, and Keith.

Keith heard Shiro talk about how Galrans, himself included, being affectionate and couldn't stop the slight blush from appearing on his face. It was true. Galrans loved to touch and nuzzle against each other. Hell, they slept in piles wrapped around each other. Scents calmed them down. Being held or holding loved ones brought warmth. Galrans weren't heartless beasts.

Iverson raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. He looked at Keith. "You may want to ruin your own future with your lies, Cadet, but Cadet McClain and Commander Shirogane shouldn't be brought into your games." Iverson sighed. "Your leaves have been denied. If this...bonding lie comes up again or if I find out you lied to the Medical team, I will have you detained, Cadet Kogane," he said coldly.

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was going to go well.

Kosmo looked up at Keith before disappearing with a soft blue light, neither Keith or Iverson noticing.

"What!" Lance said loudly, not able to contain his voice any longer.

Shiro finally looked shaken, eyes a little wild as he stood his ground. "Sir, you can't deny our leave, Krolia said we need to...Keith can't die because of my-"

"You think this is a game? Keith almost died! And I swear to god, if you even think about-" Lance let the threat die and growled. He knew finishing that sentence would only get him in more trouble, if not all of them.

Shiro's eyes snapped to Lance.  _ "Calm. Down," _ he ordered.

Keith sighed. "It's fin-" 

Iverson slammed his hands against the desk, standing. Keith flinched violently at the sharp noise. "I didn't give you permission to speak," Iverson hissed before looking at Lance. "And I would suggest calming yourself, Cadet McClain before you end up detained yourself." His eyes were narrowed on the Cuban cadet.

Lance glared up at the man, angrily exhaling through his nose.  _ Try me, dickwad. _

Shiro's attention jolted back to Iverson. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't see how you don't expect us to be emotional when you're compromising our partner's health and contradicting medical instruction." He breathed in through his nose, trying to rein himself in.

"What is going on here?" 

Lance smiled when he heard Kolivan and Krolia. He almost wanted to laugh. Iverson was gonna get it now.

Shiro looked over his shoulder, eyes widening at Kolivan and Krolia standing there, neither looking very happy. He pivoted slightly to keep everyone in his line of sight. 

Keith looked over his shoulder, eyes widening when he saw Kolivan and his mom standing there. Kosmo made his way back to Keith, resting his head on Keith's knee. Keith sent his wolf a small smile, giving him a small scratch as a reward. Kosmo nuzzled into the touch before sitting in the space between Keith and Lance, his yellow eyes honed in on Iverson.

Iverson looked at the two Blades. "This is Garrison business and has nothing to do with the alliance. Please leave."

Kolivan took a step forward. "You have a Blade member in this room and thus this becomes my business as the Leader of the Blades with all due respect."

"And he is my son," Krolia added, her eyes narrowing as she moved to stand behind Keith, her hands falling to his shoulders. "And he is suppose to be resting with his bondmates."

Kolivan looked at Keith. "What is going on?"

Keith gritted his teeth, torn between speaking and honoring a direct order. He didn't want to accidentally get Shiro or Lance in more trouble.

"Go on, your Leader asked you a question," Shiro nudged.

Keith frowned. He could feel Iverson's glare on him. "Admiral Iverson doesn't believe in the imprinting bond."

Kolivan growled audibly, his eyes narrowing on Iverson. "The Imprint Bond is one that is honored and cherished within Galran culture. I...understand that Humans do not have something similar but I don't see why you fail to understand the gift that was given to these three men," Kolivan stated.

"Humans don't get days off for when their...bondmate get a scratch. We are in a war, we need every bit of personnel that we can use."

"My son nearly died," Krolia snapped. "The Blue and Black Paladin can speak of it. My son laid in a bed gasping for breath vargas ago. They need to establish their bond or Keith will die."

Iverson gritted his teeth. "Cadet Kogane will not get special treatment due to his...heritage. My judgement stands."

Lance narrowed his eyes again.  _ Stubborn bastard. _ He was clearly doing this just because he didn’t like Keith.

Shiro turned back to Iverson, hand dropping from Keith's shoulder. "The Garrison allows three days of leave for newlyweds. I requested three days of leave," he pointed out. "And medical accommodations have been made in the past for several other soldiers with extenuating circumstances, I fail to see how this is any different."

"You three are not married!" Iverson shouted. "And Cadet Kogane can continue normal duties tomorrow," he said.

Keith sighed, his head tipping forward.  _ Fuck. _

Kolivan growled. "Keith is still recovering. As his leader, I respectfully ask that you reconsider."

Keith reached up and started to massage his right temple. He was starting to get a headache from all this yelling and he was fucking tired. He just wanted to go lie down and relax. Maybe cuddle up with Lance or Shiro or both. Maybe they should just admit defeat.

Lance looked at Keith, concerned. He wanted to move over to him, make sure he was okay, but didn't think that moving would be the wisest option.

"By Galran standards, we are," Shiro countered. "You want a ring and a certificate? I'll go find the chaplain right now if that's what it takes." He stared Iverson down, not willing to budge.

Lance's eyes widened.  _ Did he just?  _ His heartbeat quickened.  _ I'm not ready to be a husband, Shiro! _ Lance understood where he was coming from but jeez, warn a man.

Keith looked up at Shiro with wide eyes.  _ He's not wrong, _ he told himself. Both Lance and Shiro were married to him in Galran eyes and they were stuck with him for the rest of his life. But to hear it said was a completely different thing.

Iverson narrowed his eyes at Shiro. "Watch your tongue, Commander," he threatened before looking at Kolivan. "I'm his Commanding Officer and this is Garrison business. I have final say. Leave. Is. Denied."

Kolivan growled. "If you do not permit my kit the time he needs to be healthy, I will revoke the Blades and our allegiance from the Garrison and Earth," he stated.

Keith looked up at Kolivan. "You can't-"

"I can and I will, kit. Your health is more important," Kolivan said. "Furthermore, I doubt the Blades would want to work for someone who blatantly disregards one of the biggest honors of our culture."

Iverson gritted his teeth. "I implore you to reconsider."

Kolivan crossed his arms. "I implore you to do the same."

Lance inhaled sharply. " _ Dios mio _ ," he muttered under his breath. That was one way to do it.

Shiro's eyes widened, heart racing in his chest. It was probably only partly talking to Iverson that way. It was definitely Kolivan threatening to revoke the alliance. He had a point, the Blades all treasured Keith as one of their own and would refuse to work with someone who didn't give him time to settle into his new bond, let alone recover, but it being said... "Admiral, please," Shiro murmured, head down, hating that this was happening. "Don't dissolve the coalition for this."

Iverson's hands curled into fists. "Three days leave." He bit out.

"You will also make note of this and treat them like any other bonded or married couple," Kolivan added.

Iverson nodded, the older man gritting his teeth. 

"I'm glad we reached an agreement," Kolivan said. "Now if you excuse us, we were in the middle of a debriefing when we were...called." Kolivan gave Keith's forearm a gentle squeeze. "Report in when you feel better, kit. No rush. We will manage while you get better. Everyone is happy for you."

Keith smiled softly. "Thanks."

Krolia gave Keith a light kiss to the top of his head before the two of them left. 

"Cadet Kogane, after your...leave. 4 hours of detainment for disobeying orders."

Keith mentally sighed. He thought it was going too will. "Yes, sir."

Iverson turned his back to the three. "Dismissed."

Lance started to say something about Keith's detainment, but stopped when they were dismissed. Lance stood, saluting sloppily, then quickly went over to Keith, picking him up and looking at Shiro with raised eyebrows before striding out the door. "Kosmo, walk," Lance said, copying Keith from earlier and hoping the wolf would take the command and follow.

Keith sighed as Lance picked him up once again, not fighting it.  _ This is a thing apparently. _

Kosmo looked up at Lance's order, his eyes drifting towards Keith before following it, staying on Lance's left side as they left the room.

Shiro returned Lance's glance before snapping his own perfunctory salute. "Sir," he intoned before turning on his heel and following Lance out the door, shutting it behind the three of them. " _ Holy fuck, _ " he breathed so quietly he almost couldn't be heard. That had been  _ so close _ to turning out badly. He hadn't been in that much trouble since he was sixteen.

"Asshole," Lance said, looking back at the closed door.

Keith hummed in agreement to Lance's insult, leaning his head against Lance's shoulder, eyes closing.

Shiro sagged a little in relief. "We owe Krolia and Kolivan big time," he murmured, bringing his left hand up to chew on his thumbnail. He hadn't thought they'd been that close to Iverson forcing the end of the coalition for their relationship. He needed a drink or three.

Lance watched Shiro bite his nail, but didn’t comment. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Shiro do that before. "No kidding. Good job getting them, Kosmo," he said looking down at the wolf standing next to him.

Kosmo looked up at Lance, obviously preening at the praise. Keith sighed. "Hopefully Iverson will get the stick out of his ass before the next time we have to see him."  _ Doubt it, _ he couldn't help but think. In regards to Keith, that stick seemed to be firmly wedged up in Iverson with no sign of budging.

Shiro dropped his hand. "Not likely. We forced his hand this time, he won't take kindly to it." He frowned, but bent down to scratch behind Kosmo's ears. "We should at least go back to the lounge if we keep talking about this, we don't need him coming out and overhearing." He'd made that mistake only once.

Kosmo leaned into Shiro's touch, eyes closing as he took in the affection. Keith hummed in agreement, cheek pillowed on Lance's shoulder.

Lance nodded. "Should we just head back to your room?" he asked, directing the question toward Keith.

"Okay," Keith replied simply. At the point, as long as he was placed somewhere with a pillow, he would be content.

Shiro nodded, straightening. "Best to get you to someplace you can rest," he agreed. He turned toward one of the doorways, waiting for the other two to follow him.

Lance fell into step behind Shiro, allowing him to lead them back.

Keith relaxed slightly more in Lance's hold, trusting the two of them to lead him somewhere comfy.

Kosmo trotted behind them, following close behind Lance.

Shiro led them back through the hallways, past where Commander Mustang was having a rather challenging chess game with Lieutenant Hawkeye by the looks of it, and through the decks until they arrived back at Keith's quarters. He opened the door and held it for them, making sure they both got in alright.

Lance maneuvered himself and Keith through the doorway before moving over to the bed and setting Keith onto the mattress and flopping down next to him, one arm over his eyes. He sighed. "That was a disaster."

Keith let out a soft breath as he was lowered onto his bed, relaxing fully into the mattress. He chuckled a bit when Lance flopped down next to him. "About average to me," Keith replied. He was always on Iverson's shit list so his bar was set low for interactions with the man.

Kosmo jumped up onto the bed and laid down across Keith's and Lance's feet, his chin resting on Keith's knee. The large wolf let out a large sigh before closing his eyes.

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle at all three of their reactions. "Yeah, that wasn't ideal, but after being summoned like that it turned out better than I expected," he admitted as he sat on the edge of the bed next to where Lance had flopped.

Lance groaned. "One of these days I'm gonna-" He trailed off with a frustrated noise, throwing a light jab in the air with the arm not covering his face. "Just right in the nose."

Shiro snorted. "As long as it's not the eye," he deadpanned.

Keith smirked. "Can't make the man blind, but," he looked at Lance, "don't. Punching Iverson, while very rewarding usually has consequences that probably wouldn’t be good for your future."

Lance laughed. "Too late, Shiro already approved." He laid his hand on his stomach, the other arm still covering his eyes.

Shiro snorted. "You're your own man. I'm just here watching the crash happen," Shiro countered. Lance wouldn't actually punch Iverson. Right? ...Right??

Lance chuckled.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Wait until after the war at least," he said, turning his head to look at Lance. "Maybe by then others will want to join in," he added with a smirk. "Think Kosmo would get sick if he ate jackass?" Keith mused, chuckling when Kosmo's ears twitched at the sound of his name.

Shiro raised his hands. "Alright, I'm all for a little talk too, but we need to knock it off. Technically still insubordination," he warned. Besides, even if he was being an ass now, Iverson had done a lot for him.

Lance laughed again before turning to peak at Shiro from underneath his arm. "Kill joy."

Shiro shrugged. It was true.

Lance smiled slightly and lowered his arm.

Keith chuckled a few more times before settling. "Not like Lance is actually going to do it."  _ I hope _ .

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "You did," he countered. Granted, Shiro hadn't been there to stop him, but it still counted.

"I'm more of an asshole than Lance," replied Keith.

Lance smirked. "That's true."

Shiro frowned. "Nobody's an asshole," he sighed.

Keith looked at Lance with a deadpan expression. "Can feel the love." He shrugged at Shiro's statement. "And I can be a bit of an asshole, it’s part of my charm."

Shiro stayed frowning, but gave a little half-shrug. He supposed that was true.

Lance nudged Keith playfully with his knee and smiled.

Keith closed his eyes and settled into the bed, his body relaxing.

Shiro looked down at the two of them fondly. "Come on, lay properly or you're gonna pay for it later," he urged, pushing Lance gently toward Keith. "I'm sure you two want to cuddle after all the stress, anyways."

Lance whined and frowned, flopping the hand resting on his stomach towards Keith. "I don't wanna move. Keith, lay on me."

#####  Keith opened an eye, an eyebrow rising slowly. "Lay on you." He repeated slowly. "So romantic," he joked, moving to rest his cheek against Lance's shoulder, his arm resting on his stomach. 

Kosmo lifted his head, yellow eyes peering upward when Keith moved. He huffed lightly, shifting so his head rested on Lance instead.

Lance hummed, lacing his fingers with Keith's on his stomach.

Shiro initially held back a snort of laughter, softening as he saw the two of them lace their fingers together. He wanted to make a snarky comment about being a romantic, but he couldn't find it in himself to break the moment.

Keith yawned, snuggling into Lance as he started to drift to sleep. A soft smile appeared when he felt Lance entwine their fingers together. As he fell asleep, he curled tighter into Lance, his ear resting over Lance's heartbeat, a faint purr coming from as he slumbered.

Lance smiled at the purr and squeezed his hand briefly. This was how things should be. No one should be yelling at them, no one should be dying. Just them, together. Content. Warm.

Shiro reached over across the bed, grabbing a throw blanket and placing it gently over the two of them as Keith drifted off.

Lance hummed. "Thanks, Shiro," he muttered as he let his mental exhaustion from the days events pull him into dreams, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

Shiro chuckled a little as he watched Lance drop off too. It had been a stressful few days, that was for sure. They'd probably be out for a while. He made sure the blanket was tucked securely around the both of them before scooting back and resting against the wall, right forearm smoothly detaching from the elbow to bring him Keith's tablet from the side table. It reattached with a soft click and he settled in, reading reports and highlighting changes to be made while his boyfriend and his boyfriend's boyfriend slept.

After about a half an hour, long past when his eyes started to cross as he weeded through dense reports, a messaged pinged onto his screen's overlay.

_ Heard you got called into Iverson's office. Everything alright? _

Shiro sighed. That was right, he wasn't done. He still had to talk to Curtis about all of this and hope the fallout wouldn't be too messy.

_ Complicated. Long story short yes. Your break due soon? _

_ Off shift in 20. Meet at cafe? _

Shiro made a quiet noise, glancing toward the sleeping Paladins. He didn't want to leave without telling them, but he didn't want to wake them. Maybe a note...? He shifted again, moving toward the edge of the bed and standing as quietly as possible.

Lance stirred when the mattress shifted. He rolled his arm up a little so it wasn’t covering both of his eyes and peered out sleepily. "Shiro? Where are you going?" he mumbled still mostly asleep.

Shiro looked back to Lance. Well, that solved that. "Gonna go talk to Curtis, he heard we got called in to Iverson's. I'll be back soon," he murmured, rearranging the blanket again. "Take care of Keith, okay?"

"Curtis?" Lance muttered. For some reason he was feeling panicky, but he didn't know why, his brain still muddled with sleep. Keith shifted slightly on Lance's chest and it suddenly clicked, his hand detangling from Keith's to grab Shiro’s wrist as his other arm snaked around Keith's back to hold him closer and allowing Lance to look at Shiro completely. "Shiro."

Shiro looked to Lance, startled. He looked terrified, clutching Keith to his chest as he looked up at him.  _ Oh. _

"I'm breaking up with him," he told Lance quietly, not making any move to remove his hand. "We're going to the cafe, so we won't touch much if it all. I owe it to him to do it in person." He looked imploringly.

Lance let out a quiet breath he hadn't known he’d been holding and let his hand slide off Shiro’s wrist. He closed his eyes and swallowed as the panic subsided. Finally he nodded, bringing his hand up to tangle in Keith's hair. "Sorry."

Shiro nodded. "Don't be. It's a fair reaction." He hesitated for a moment before bending down to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Lance's ear. "I'll try to be back before he wakes up," he murmured as he stood upright once again. "Need anything before I go?"

Something fluttered quietly in Lance's stomach as Shiro fixed his hair, but he was already falling asleep again now that the panicky feeling was gone and it was barely registered. "Mm mm." He hummed, turning his face towards Keith.

Shiro smiled fondly down at the pair as Lance started visibly nodding off once again. He wanted to say something, he wasn't sure what, but the words were stuck in his throat. He settled for walking over to the door, pulling his boots on and heading toward the designated meeting spot.

####  Once he got there he put his and Curtis' regular orders and found a seat at a little table tucked into the corner, looking around at the other patrons. The majority looked like they had either just woken up or gotten off shift, both valid excuses for needing the commissary's caffeine supplies. Once his name was called he stepped back up, nodding his thanks to the very earnest assistant manager passing over his lattes. He sat the black coffee across from him and started stirring his latte, trying to cool it slightly before taking a drink.

A few minutes later a rather exhausted looking Curtis dropped into the chair in front of him, taking the cup without looking and downing half of it despite the temperature. "Takashi," he greeted after he was finishing inhaling his drink. 

"Curtis," Shiro returned as he drank at a more reasonable pace. "Rough shift?"

Curtis made a noise and waved his hand. "You know how Iverson is. Speaking of..." He leveled a pointed look at Shiro. "Three days of leave with no notice? How did you expect that to get past him?"

Shiro shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I wasn't thinking at the time. Just needed to be with Keith." He took another drink, pointedly ignoring the questioning look the other man was giving him. He'd get there in his own time. "So, he was admitted to medical with symptoms of heart failure," he started.

Curtis swore under his breath. "Kid doing okay?" he asked quickly. He'd done his best to watch after Keith after Shiro had been presumed dead, and cared about him even if Keith didn't share the same affection. Hell, Keith had run to the desert rather than let Curtis and Adam keep an eye on him. Curtis had spent days scouring the desert on his down time trying to find him. He wanted to make sure he was alright.

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, he is now. He started experiencing rejection symptoms. It's a Galran thing for when they think their mate has abandoned them and started a relationship with someone else." He looked pointedly at Curtis, who's face dawned in understanding before it fell slightly. Shiro continued. "I put the leave in to re-establish our bond, make sure he's 100% before we send him out again."

"And you're here to make things clear about the end of us," he said quietly, swirling the coffee in his mug before taking a drink. Shiro made a noise of confirmation before opening his mouth to speak again. "Shiro, no. We both knew it had to happen eventually. If it's because you found your happy ending, I'm happy for you." Curtis smiled, pained but sincere. "And it's not like I won't see you ever again. I still expect to be friends with you."

Shiro nodded. "I don't think the bond will have an issue with that," he agreed. Curtis nodded in understanding. "I just...felt like I owed it to you. You've helped me. More than I could have imagined. I..."

Curtis chuckled. "You're going to start a monologue, Shiro. Let's just leave it there." He downed the rest of the coffee before standing. When Shiro stood alongside him he held out a hand. "See you later?"

Shiro took the hand, nodding. He wanted to hug him, but there were so many things keeping him from it. Location, bond. His own feelings. "Yeah, see you on the bridge."

Curtis nodded and wasted no time in stepping away from the table, setting his mug in the collection bin and booking it out the door. Shiro felt bad ending things so abruptly, knew Curtis was taking it harder than he was broadcasting, but there wasn't anything that could be done. Keith needed this, so Shiro would do it without question.

He sat again, taking a few minutes to finish the latte before depositing his own dirty dishes in the collection bin and shouting a thanks to the staff before heading back to Keith's room. He let himself in and noted the still sleeping paladins on the bed, huffing a quiet laugh before taking his sweatshirt off and settling in at the table to read the never ending amount of reports cropping up on his virtual desk.

Lance shifted slightly, coming half into consciousness and opened his eyes blearily. He blinked and looked around, spotting Shiro in one of the chairs, tablet in hand, flipping through something. "How'd it go?" he asked quietly, his voice scratchy and deep from sleep.

Shiro looked up at the sudden noise, spotting a sleep-mussed Lance blinking his eyes blearily at him. "Went fine," he murmured as he scrolled a little farther down the report to see the standard reaction times of unmanned weapons response systems. "Hardly touched, just shook hands. Shouldn't be a problem for Keith." He was trying not to let it affect him, but it hadn't ended how he'd wanted it to. Even though it had been amiable, it was still clearly a shock for both of them and would take time to get over.

Lance nodded slightly, accepting the information Shiro had given him. "That wasn't what I meant," he said quietly. Sure, he had been mad at Shiro and Curtis for what had happened and how it had affected Keith, but he could understand that it would suck to break up with someone abruptly because they  _ had _ to. And Shiro looked a bit...off. So he could put aside any anger he still had left and be nice. They were still friends after all.

Shiro looked up again, trying to get a read on Lance. The other man had been so upset when he'd found out about Curtis, and now he was...Shiro wasn't sure. Sympathizing? Understanding? Checking up on him, at least. It wasn't something Shiro was used to. 

He let out a long breath and clicked the tablet off, setting it to the side. "He took it fine on the surface. I'm probably going to give him a few days to process it before I try reaching out again." Gods knew he needed the space as well. Needed to recreate the separation between them in his mind.

Lance nodded slightly again. "And you?"

Shiro swallowed, bringing his hands together to fidget in his lap. "I'll need the few days too," he admitted quietly. It had been so abrupt. Hell, he still had Curtis' marks on him, it was that recent. He wasn't sure what to make of it, what to think. He was just doing what he knew he needed to right now, and hoping that everything else would work itself out later. As long as he and Keith, and Lance, got through it okay it'd probably be okay in the end.

Lance looked away from Shiro. He was clearly upset and Lance didn’t want to push anymore than he already had. He sighed quietly. "Come on," he said, waving slightly with the hand wrapped around Keith's shoulders.

Keith grumbled softly, turning into Lance's chest, still asleep.

Shiro looked up from his fingers, seeing Lance beckoning him over with a wave. He tilted his head in confusion. "But it's your time," he protested lightly. He wanted to, craved physical comfort, but he wasn't about to encroach on Lance's time with Keith. He'd probably done too much of that already. If he wanted to keep Keith like this, he needed to learn boundaries.

Lance closed his eyes. "Shiro, get over here. I already said cuddle piles were fine."  _ And you look like you could use one, _ he added in his head. Lance kept his eyes closed, slowly drifting back off.

Shiro hesitated for a moment but nodded, standing and moving over to the bed to lay on Keith's other side, cuddling up behind him. He let out a little sigh at the contact, happy to be in close proximity to Keith again. He'd missed this more than he wanted to admit. It still didn't make everything better, not by a long shot, but it helped a lot. "Thanks," he murmured as he nuzzled into the crook of Keith's neck as best he could.

Lance smiled a bit and hummed in response, moving his arm from around Keith so Shiro could snuggle better behind him. It somehow ended up under Shiro’s head, but Lance didn't move away, instead bringing his hand up to awkwardly try to rub Shiro’s back, but really only managed to brush his shoulder slightly with the pads of his fingers. He was trying to be reassuring and hoped that it came across. He let his hand fall back onto the bed and took a deep breath, letting himself fall back into unconsciousness.

Shiro felt Lance's awkward attempt at comfort and flushed a little - apparently he'd been really transparent - but appreciated it for what it was. Lance wasn't shutting him out from being with Keith, was facilitating a cuddle session and reassuring him. In that moment it meant the world to Shiro. He almost wanted to cry, too many emotions inside of him, but he held it back and opted for holding Keith tighter, letting the day finally catch up with him and his eyelids droop until he too was sleeping lightly alongside the other two paladins.


End file.
